Destiny's Fate
by ChildOfFate17
Summary: A young, rather headstrong girl is thrust into her new dimension when the time comes. She finds herself surrounded by war and violence. Her only way home is by making it all stop. But, when the time comes... what if she doesn't want to go home? KadajOC
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

**Memo: Yo, dudes! This is a 'tribute', shall we say, to Final Fantasy VII – Advent Children. For all those who have seen the movie, you'll know that when Cloud kills Sephiroth, Kadaj comes back. And dies. Well, my fic is here to change that! I'm going to start it off during the fight between Cloud and Sephiroth and move on from there. And now, my wonderful readers… Enjoy!**

Disclaimer: No, much as I hate to say it, I do not own Final Fantasy… But, man, imagine how rich I would be if I did!

_

* * *

_

"Stay where you belong," Cloud said quietly, looking up at the defeated Sephiroth. "In my memories."

A single black, feathery wing unfurled from Sephiroth's shoulder, but the silver haired man's eyes never left Cloud's blue ones.

"I… will never be a memory," he promised, voice as cold and silky as ice.

The sun broke out suddenly from behind the rain clouds, and Sephiroth furled his wing around himself to escape the burning light. With a faint whooshing sound, Sephiroth's form melted back into Kadaj. When the transformation was through, Kadaj fell gracelessly out of the sky.

The Remnant pushed himself onto his hands and knees, panting laboriously. On his own body were the sword marks that Cloud had inflicted upon Sephiroth. Grabbing his sword from where it had fallen, Kadaj made one last futile attempt on Cloud's life. The pain of his wounds was too much, however, and he began to fall.

Things happened very quickly after that.

From somewhere high over their heads, Cloud and Kadaj heard a loud, high-pitched scream. A streak of gold and blue crashed into Cloud from above. The momentum of the falling object forced Cloud to the ground beneath it. And, last but not least, Kadaj lost consciousness and fell heavily onto something very soft.

**

* * *

**

**NOT LONG BEFORE, A CHOICE WAS BEING MADE THAT WOULD CHANGE THEIR WORLD…**

* * *

Door after door flashed endlessly by; each door containing a dimension. The time had come: it was time to choose. Taking a deep breath, Destiny made up her mind. She shut her eyes. The first door she saw when she opened them would be her choice. Her dimension. Her destiny.

No. She couldn't do it. She couldn't choose. If she did, she would be leaving everything she knew and loved behind.

Destiny sighed and opened her eyes again – watching sadly as the doors continued to rush past. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she thought once more of her family. She took in a deep, shaky breath: she had to be strong.

Looking back at the doors flashing by constantly, she wondered which to pick.

'_Doesn't really matter,' _she reflected gloomily. _'Either way, I'll be dimensions away from my home… my family…'_

Well, she had to pick one, so which would it be?

'_Hmm… eenie, meenie, miney, moe; catch a tiger by the toe; if he hollers… Oh, this is stupid! That one!'_

The door Destiny had picked glowed and an eye formed on it. All the other doors faded away into blackness, leaving only the one. She approached it, slowly, warily. There was no turning back now. Reaching out, Destiny took hold of the handle. She could feel herself losing confidence. If she didn't go now, she knew that she wouldn't have the guts to go at all.

'_Ready or not, Destiny… Here we go…'_

Without pausing to think, Destiny threw open the door and pushed herself inside. The door disappeared behind her – she was alone and stranded in an unfamiliar dimension.

The sudden, sickening feeling of weightlessness caused her to look around. _'CRAP.'_

It seemed that Destiny had been dumped into the dimension about a mile above even the tops of the buildings. Unfortunately for her, this dimension had the same amount of gravity as her old one. Down she fell.

To put it lightly, Destiny wasn't a fan of heights. To put it realistically, Destiny was more terrified of heights than a cat is of water.

'_This is worse than the falling dream!' _She thought, feeling her stomach in her throat and the wind whistling through her hair.

Wishing that it would stop soon, Destiny chanced a peek at the ground again. Seeing it rising rapidly to meet her, she let out a desperate, high-pitched shriek.

Bracing herself, she prepared to feel her bones snap and break as they hit the concrete going 50 miles per hour.

"Mother…" She whimpered, unwilling to believe that her short life was about to end.

**Thud. Thud. Thud.**

Destiny slowly blinked open her eyes. She had hit the ground much less violently than she had expected, for some reason. Nothing felt broken, but the wind had been knocked out of her. Breathing steadily, her breath eventually returned… and then she became aware of two things. First of all, she couldn't move any of her upper body except her head and right arm. Secondly, the ground beneath her was breathing.

_Idiot,_ she argued with herself. _The ground doesn't breathe! _Straining her neck to look over her shoulder, she stiffened at the sight below her. _But that does._

Lying underneath her was a man that Destiny had never seen before. He was young and well muscled, with spiky, blond hair. His eyes were shut and he appeared to be asleep.

A sudden thought struck her. If she was on top of him… then she must have fallen on him! That would account for her softer-than-expected landing.

_Oops, _she thought guiltily. _If that's what happened, he's probably unconscious, not asleep._

Slowly becoming more aware of her surroundings, Destiny turned back to see why she couldn't move most or her upper body.

_What the…?_

Lying on top of her was yet another man Destiny had never seen before. His head rested limply on her chest – much to her discomfort. His hair was silver and smooth, reminding her irresistibly of her father. His eyes, too, were closed.

_Wait… why should __**he**__ be unconscious? I didn't fall on __**him**__!_

"Um, excuse me…" She began. He didn't react. She tried again. "Hello...?" There was still no reaction from the silver-haired man. Beneath her, Destiny heard a faint groan and knew that the blond guy was waking up. She turned her head to look at him just as his eyes blinked open.

Their eyes caught.

"What…?" He asked quietly, confusion evident in his tone.

Blushing, Destiny laughed nervously. "Uh… yeah. Hi. Sorry 'bout this, but – in my defense – it's not my fault."

For the first time, she took in the fact that she was almost completely on top of him. _How awkward can this get?_

She could have hit herself for thinking that. It's a common fact of life to never ask if things can get worse – because they can and will. And then they did.

Destiny and Cloud suddenly became aware of pounding feet heading their way… coming from two different directions. Both strained their necks up to see who it was – unable to do much else, as both of their bodies were crushed under someone else's.

"What have we here?" Someone drawled. The question came from a slim, red-haired guy. With him were eight others: a bald guy, a guy in a red cape, a black guy with a machine in place of his hand, a blond guy with a stick, a girl in black leather, a girl in unbelievably long boots, a red wolf, and a gray cat.

"Cloud!" The girl in black leather cried in relief, her eyes on the blond man beneath Destiny.

_Cloud? _Destiny thought, confused. _Didn't know that was a guy name…_

Suddenly, the nine friends tensed and stared at something in the opposite direction. Turning her head the other way, Destiny blinked. Two silver-haired men who bore a slight resemblance to the man on top of her stood there warily. One had long hair and seemed more agile. The other had short hair and was more burly. Their faces showed little expression – reminding her once more of her father – but they seemed hesitant to approach Destiny and the others.

For a while, no one moved. No one spoke. Destiny almost thought that everyone had stopped breathing. She quickly grew bored and decided to break the silence.

"Could somebody _please_ get this guy off me?" She snapped. She didn't mean to sound irritable, but her neck was beginning to cramp from lifting it so long. Plus, she had completely lost feeling in her left arm.

Everyone else started and stared at her, as if noticing her for the first time. Reno and Rude exchanged a baffled glance – unsure of what to do. No one made a move to help her.

Destiny groaned. "C'mon, please? I can't feel my left arm!" They still made no move towards her, though they were all shifting restlessly as if trying to decide whether to help or not. Exhaling sharply, she turned her face away. "Fine," she muttered, "I'll do it myself."

Now slightly hesitant, Destiny reached up and gave the silver haired man a slight shove with her free right hand. He shifted and moaned, but remained unconscious.

"Well, at least we know he's alive…" Destiny muttered.

Just then, a soft, limp-sounding voice murmured, "Brother…"

Destiny looked up to see who had spoken. It was one of the silver-haired men. "What did you say?"

The longhaired one slowly turned his head to look at her. "He's our brother." He said in that soft voice of his.

Destiny blinked. "He is?"

"Yeah," the burly one answered in a deep, rough voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, why didn't you_say_ so?" She groaned, impatient. "Can you please get your brother off me? He's heavy!"

The two exchanged glances and slowly approached her. Instantly, the nine companions tensed and readied for a fight. The brothers stopped, looking slightly cautious.

Destiny let out a low, annoyed growl with a faint undertone of warning. "Quit it!" She snapped at the nine. They flinched, as if stung, and stared at her again. "They're only trying to help me out, as _you_ didn't seem to care to! Look, if you want to do something useful, then leave! And take your idiocy with you!"

Destiny's tongue lashed out instinctively, and she let it. At home, she was used to speaking sharply to idiots like them who didn't know what they wanted to do. They slowly stepped back, looking confused and slightly hurt, but still wary. With the threat gone, the two brothers approached Destiny quickly. Kneeling down beside her, they inspected their brother.

"Kadaj…" Murmured the one with long hair in his limp voice.

"B-big brother…" Whined the other hoarsely. Suddenly, he bowed his head, his shoulders shaking slightly.

"Don't cry, Loz," the longhaired one said.

Destiny stared up at the two men, unable to understand what was going on. The nine friends seemed as bewildered as she.

"What are you people talkingabout?" She snapped. When neither answered, she sighed, "You know what? Never mind. I don't wanna know. Talk later. Move now."

Destiny heard whispers from behind her. The unfamiliar names they used and the complete and utter confusion in their tones did not help her understand. Instead, they added onto her bewilderment.

"He's not… is he?"

"Cloud did hit Sephiroth pretty hard…"

"Good riddance."

"I dunno… poor guy…"

"What'll happen to _them_ if he kicks it?"

"Who knows?"

"Guess we're about to find out."

Destiny wasn't a very patient person, and she'd had just about enough. She had left her family, been dumped into a strange new world, fell on, been fallen on, and now nobody seemed to be able to talk sense. One could only take so much. In a chillingly cold, calm voice, Destiny said, "Does everyone here know something that I do not?"

Everyone fell silent. Destiny looked them all over, and every single person dropped their eyes from her searching ones. She turned her eyes to the brothers. The one called 'Loz' dropped his gaze, but the other held it. Perhaps he could tell her what she wanted to know.

Ignoring everyone else, she said to him, "What is going on?" It was not really a question. It was more of a demand. The tone of her voice said clearly, 'Tell me what I need to know, or I will force it from you.' The man seemed to have a sense of self-preservation, because his answer made sense for once.

"Kadaj," he said simply, "is dying." He turned his gaze to the man under Destiny – _Cloud_, she thought his name was – and finished. "Big brother did it."

* * *

_Edited 3/12/09, but will probably be reedited sometime in the future..._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: Legacy**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy, obviously. If I did, Kadaj would not be dead.**_

_Memo: Destiny was just dropped into a strange dimension and found out that the guy on top of her (Kadaj) is dying because of the guy below her (Cloud)._

**---**

Destiny was in shock. The man on top of her… was dying? Gazing up at the longhaired man standing beside her, all Destiny could do was gape wordlessly.

Slowly, the shock wore off – only to be replaced by anger and guilt. At herself. Surely she – with all her magic – should have been able to sense the life draining out of the man on top of her?

**But no,** her subconscious mocked, **you were more interested in moping about looking for self-pity.**

Destiny's subconscious' words stung, but she knew that they were the truth. Balling her hands into fists, she examined the man on top of her.

'_I need to make a difference in this dimension,' _She told him mentally._ 'I'll start with you.'_

Destiny's eyes narrowed in determination. At home, some said that when she made up her mind to do something, Destiny would never rest until it was done. As both her mother and her father had been stubborn, it was said that she had gotten a mixture of the two at birth. According to them, she was as stubborn as the two of them combined.

Looking up at the longhaired man, she said in a deathly quiet voice, "Get him off of me. Now."

'_The look on her face is enough to send Sephiroth running for the hills,' _Yazoo decided with a shiver. Bending down, he picked Kadaj up gently and set him down nearby.

Before anyone had a chance to blink, Destiny was up and kneeling beside him. Sharp, blue-purple eyes flecked with gold studied Kadaj top to bottom. Destiny swallowed, feeling sick. This man – Kadaj, wasn't he called? – had numerous sword wounds through his chest and abdomen area. And she meant through. As in, the gaping holes through this man could allow one to see the pavement that he rested on through him.

Destiny shook herself. Now was no time to get cold feet. She had learned a bit of Healing from her father, but not much. The most she had ever Healed before was a broken toe or finger. Nothing anywhere near this big.

Destiny had noticed something else as well. Wounded as this man – _Kadaj, _she reminded herself – was, he wasn't dead yet. However, any normal human would be long gone by now. And another thing: humans bleed. This man… this Kadaj… despite the holes in his chest, there was no blood at all. What was he?

_There's time for that later,_ she berated herself. _Right now, his life is more important._

Without sparing Yazoo or Loz even half a glance, Destiny said, "I may be able to Heal your brother. Don't get your hopes up too high. We'll see." The said silver-haired men's heads jerked up in surprise.

"You might be able to heal him?" The longhaired one repeated, his voice sounding a bit more lively than usual.

"Perhaps," Destiny replied simply.

"How?" Demanded the burly one. Despite his 'tough guy' act, undisguised hope shone in his eyes.

Destiny's only reply was, "Hush. How am I supposed to concentrate if you won't be quiet?"

Just then, the red-haired guy stepped forward. "Wait a minute," he drawled, "he's the bad guy! Don't waste your time on him."

"Yeah," the bald guy joined him. "Even if you do miraculously save him or something, we'll just kill him again later."

Destiny's head jerked up and she stared at the men. Fury and disbelief glinted in her amber-flecked eyes, making them glow. "Kill him again?" She repeated coldly. Slowly, she rose to her feet and began to walk towards them. "If anything, this man is the victim here. Or maybe you haven't noticed? He's dying."

Though Destiny was several inches shorter than both Reno and Rude, the way that she stood and acted seemed to make them cowering 5 year olds.

"But…" Reno protested weakly, seeming slightly nervous.

"Listen…" Began Rude.

"No," she interrupted. "You listen. I am going to do the best that I can to help this man, and you are not going to stop me. Now if you two so much as make one more sound, you will wish that your father had never laid eyes on your mother. Understand? Good."

Reno's mouth was working soundlessly – unable to think of anything to say for the first time in his life.

Destiny continued, "Now, if you will excuse me, there's something I need to do." Turning, Destiny walked back over to Kadaj and knelt down. Half closing her eyes in concentration, Destiny gently placed her hands on Kadaj's chest.

Forcing her muscles to relax, Destiny focused on nothing at all – just like her father had taught her. Loosening the shields around her heart and mind – which she had unknowingly raised herself – used to come as a challenge. Now, she could get them to slide away as easily as water. It was then that she, washed clean and completely at ease with the balance of all things, was at her most powerful… yet, at the same time, most vulnerable.

Now, pure and clean, Destiny stood before the blazing inferno within herself. This was the Destiny legacy. Within each Destiny was pooled the power of all the Destinys before her – making her more powerful than all those before her.

Destiny swallowed. Though she had grown accustomed to standing – naked and unprotected – before the raw power the Destinys had been gifted with, she still felt small and worthless compared to the shining glory of all the millennia of Destinys before her.

Taking a deep breath, Destiny reached out and touched the molten mass of power. Pain and light consumed filled her, consumed her, became her, but at the same time, there was relief. Relief from the pain, from the torture of the searing, blinding light. Cool hands reached out, touched her face. Somehow, Destiny knew that they belonged to all the Destinys before her. They knew her pain, and they soothed it. Through the hissing rush of power all around her, Destiny thought she could almost hear their soothing words and crooned praises.

And then she was full. Her weak body could hold no more power. The light… the light was burning her to cinders! She had to use it – to put it somewhere – or else the light would devour her!

Frantically, Destiny searched for an outlet. With a jolt, Destiny left the blazing inferno with in her and found herself back once more in that strange dimension. Everything flooded back to her. The reason that she had drawn the power into her body in the first place had been to save this man before her. This… Kadaj.

With a slight grunt of effort, Destiny emptied the power into his body. Though she was relieved to feel it draining out of her, at the same time, she felt strangely sad… and empty. This feeling was common, however, and always faded in the end. Ignoring it, Destiny set to work.

**---**

From the time when Destiny first began to speak, everyone had been wondering the exact same thing: who is this girl? She was young and pretty – fair skinned and golden-haired. She seemed to be only in her late teens. Her eyes were intriguing, their bluish-purple color flecked with amber. Her face was expressive, but the expressions they had seen most on it were coldness and anger. Though she remained pretty with whatever expression her face settled into, the mix of arrogance and cool dislike threw everyone off-balance and made her seem almost… unreachable. As if she were too high and mighty for anyone else. However, those were not the only emotions they had seen on her. The obvious pity and concern on her face as she looked at Kadaj softened her expression so much that everyone had done a double take.

Most of them didn't know what to make of her. As they didn't know anything of her, they reserved judgment for later. Tifa and Yuffie outwardly disliked her – being fellow females, they didn't like how bold and sharp-tongued the girl was. Reno and Rude were still rather in shock from the telling off she had given them. Cloud had received mixed feelings: she had seemed sincere and nice enough when she had apologized for being stuck on top of him, but he had also watched her verbally attack Reno and Rude. Still, it wasn't as if he were on Reno and Rude's side, so he was still unsure.

By the time that Destiny had laid her hands on Kadaj's chest, Cloud had managed to push himself to his feet. His shoulder was stinging from where Sephiroth's blade had pierced him. Just then, something began to happen.

Everybody watched tensely as Destiny's muscles relaxed and her eyes emptied of all emotion. Slowly, a golden light began to radiate off of her.

Eventually, a change came over Destiny. Her smooth, blank face contracted slightly, and her fingers would twitch every so often. Suddenly, Destiny gave a great, shuddering gasp. Her body began to strain backwards, but, somehow, Destiny's fingers always remained just touching Kadaj's chest – as if glued there.

The light around Destiny was growing, and her body seemed to be becoming weak and washed-out looking under it. Suddenly, her whole body gave a jerk, and the light flowed out of her body into Kadaj.

She opened her halfway closed eyes again, panting slightly. Focusing her attention on Kadaj, she continued her Healing.

**---**

Destiny was frustrated beyond belief. Every time she tried to use the power she had pushed into Kadaj's body, it escaped her. On top of that, his breathing was getting worse. If she didn't do something, she knew that he wouldn't last long.

**---**

It was hopeless, Destiny had decided. Whenever she most wanted to summon her magic, it eluded her. She could do nothing for him.

Looking up at Kadaj's brothers, she said quietly, "I'm sorry. There's nothing I can do for him. Our best bet is to get him to a surgeon, so…" She stopped talking suddenly and focused her attention on Kadaj again.

Something was wrong. Destiny had never taken her hands off his chest, so she had grown accustomed to his steady – if abnormally slow – heartbeat beneath her fingers. When the beat had slowed farther and become irregular, Destiny had felt it immediately.

Kadaj's face was a chalky white, and his breath came in short gasps. He was not long for this world.

"Hurry!" Destiny whispered. "Where's the nearest surgeon?"

Kadaj suddenly gave a faint cough. His breathing slowed farther, his body unable to make up for the loss of air.

Breathe in… breathe out…in….out…..in……out…….in……..out…………

And he stopped. Simple as that. He had stopped breathing.

**---**

_Fluffy'sMate17_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3: Breathe**_

_**Disclaimer: Square Enix owns it, and MAN, do they need to work on their plot lines!**_

_Recap: Kadaj just stopped breathing, despite Destiny's efforts to Heal him._

**---**

"No…" Destiny whispered, stricken. Hesitantly, she reached out and nudged Kadaj's cold body. "Breathe," she murmured. He didn't move. Destiny nudged his body again, this time a little harder. "Breathe," she pleaded. He remained immobile. By now, tears were welling up in Destiny's eyes. Suddenly, Destiny raised her fist into the air. "BREATHE, DAMN YOU!" She screamed, bringing her fist pounding down on Kadaj's chest. "BREATHE!"

The moment that her fist connected with Kadaj's chest, a spasm racked her body. With a jolt, the very life force that kept Destiny's heart pumping raced from her body into Kadaj's. A horrible, pain-filled scream was wrenched from her as she felt her life forsaking her body in favor of Kadaj's.

Another sudden spasm jerked Destiny's body away from Kadaj's. Falling to the ground, Destiny gazed dazedly up at the sky. Darkness was probing at the sides of her vision and she could feel her consciousness ebbing away. She had been through so much in one day. Too much. She was mentally and physically exhausted. Shutting her eyes with a sigh, Destiny let the darkness take her. Before the darkness overpowered her completely, however, she had time for one last distinct thought.

_I failed. Because of my incompetence, Kadaj is dead._

And then she drifted off.

Silence reigned for a while as all eleven bystanders was lost in his or her own thoughts about what they had just witnessed. It was Yazoo that broke out of his daze first. Slowly, he approached his brother. Staring down at Kadaj's fallen body with eyes deadened by grief, he silently paid his respects and turned away. He froze, however, when a soft noise reached his ears.

**B-bmp.**

**B-bmp.**

**B-bmp.**

Heartbeats. Coming from… Kadaj? Yazoo whirled back around and studied Kadaj more closely. It was true! Kadaj's chest was rising and falling steadily – if a little slowly.

Yazoo's eyes widened and he turned his attention on the unconscious girl beside his brother. What was she? How had she been able to do such a thing?

Whispered voices behind him alerted Yazoo to the fact that Kadaj's condition was not unknown to their enemies. In Kadaj's weakened state, he would be easy prey for them. Instantly, Yazoo took charge of the situation. Telling Loz to pick up Kadaj, Yazoo paused before scooping up Destiny in his own arms.

_Her power may help us win this fight._

Without hesitating, both he and Loz leapt off the building. Landing lightly, they mounted their bikes, held onto their cargo tightly, and sped off. Behind them, they left nine very confused ex-Soldiers.

**---**

Destiny woke up with a splitting headache. She was sore and achy all over, but was otherwise unharmed. Groaning, she blinked open her eyes. She found herself in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room, in an unfamiliar place. Needless to say, it was – for lack of a better word – an unfamiliar situation. She didn't like it.

Shooting up into a sitting position, she whimpered as the pressure within her temples increased tenfold. Her vision blurred and she fell back onto the pillow.

When her head cleared again, Destiny carefully pushed herself up. Studying her surroundings as best she could (the only light in the room came from the moon, through a single window), she noticed another bed in the room. Squinting in the faint light, Destiny received a shock when she realized that the bed was occupied. Tense, she silently slid the covers off her protesting body and crept over to the other bed.

At first, it was too dark for Destiny to tell who her companion was. Suddenly, a stray beam of moonlight fell across the person's familiar face. Destiny's breath caught in her throat. Kadaj. Eyes wide and face pale, she stared down at the man she could not save.

_Who… could do this to me?_ She wondered vaguely. _Who could be so cruel as to put the face of my failure in the same room as me?_

Destiny's weary muscles faltered suddenly. Knees buckling, she pitched forward onto the same bed as the object of her misery, only just managing to catch herself before she landed on him. Opening her eyes – which she had shut out of reflex – Destiny found her face only inches away from Kadaj's. Her surprise and fear were short-lived, however, for something about his face relaxed her. Was it his peaceful countenance? Was it the way that slight smile lingered on his face? Unconsciously, Destiny's hand reached out to touch his pale cheek. Upon contact, though, she immediately flinched back, as if she had been burned.

_His skin… is warm?_

Destiny stared at him for a moment, then scrambled to check his pulse. Sure enough, there it was! Slow, steady, and strong.

Releasing her bated breath, Destiny sat back, dazed. He was alive. She had done it after all.

There was something wet on her face. Destiny touched her damp cheeks. Tears. When had she begun crying? But as Destiny soon realized, it was far easier to begin crying than to stop.

_I've always considered myself 'tough'. I've suffered broken bones, sword wounds, and claw marks silently, without a single tear shed. I've seen men and demons alike murdered by their own hand or the hand of another without batting an eye. I've watched families and friends grieve over lost loved ones. I pitied them, but not once did I ever bow my own head and weep with them. And yet, here I am, weeping out of relief – relief! – that a man I do not know is not dead,' _Destiny thought wryly as another tear slipped down her cheek.

_Perhaps… perhaps it has been too long since I last loosened up enough to cry. Perhaps the tears I shed now are not only for Kadaj, but for all those other times when I should have wept, but was unable to. Perhaps I am even crying for my previous inability to cry._

And so, Destiny wept. Tears fell thick and fast as she remembered all the awful things in life that she had seen and heard… and done. Eventually, her mind ran out of bad memories or feelings and the crying eased. Destiny had just cried seventeen years worth of tears in no more than two hours. Exhausted, she sank onto Kadaj's bed. The moment her head touched the pillow, waves of soothing, dreamless sleep washed over her. She welcomed them with open arms.

Yazoo chose that moment to walk into the room. When his eyes fell on the sleeping couple, he froze in shock. Destiny had somehow managed to find her way over to Kadaj's bed, on which they were both currently unconscious.

They made an interesting sight. Destiny's head was lying half on the pillow, half on Kadaj's shoulder. She lay on her stomach, while Kadaj lay on his back. Destiny's hand was flopped lazily on Kadaj's chest. And she was half on top of him.

Slowly, Yazoo turned and walked out of the room. He definitely did NOT want to be there when Kadaj woke up. Yazoo was never quite sure how Kadaj would react to anything, but if the reaction turned out to be violent rage, Yazoo knew it was safest to be far away. Preferably in another country.

And so Yazoo left the couple just the way they were… which is the way Kadaj found himself when he woke up the next morning.

**---**

_Fluffy'sMate17_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4: Lies**_

_**Disclaimer: I OWN IT! Or at least I did in this dream I had last night… Square Enix gave it to me for my birthday and Kadaj did the hula! AND THERE WERE SPORKS! LOTS AND LOTS OF SPORKS! O.O**_

_Recap: A jolt of power from Destiny caused Kadaj's heart to beat again. Yazoo and Loz took them both back to their base, where Destiny happened to pass out on top of Kadaj._

**---**

Kadaj surfaced from slumber slowly and leisurely. He was warm, but not uncomfortably so, and there was a slight weight draped across his chest. Assuming the weight to be an unnecessary blanket, Kadaj shoved it off him.

The 'blanket' squealed as it hit the floor with a thump.

Instantly, Kadaj had his feet under him and was crouched tensely on the bed, ready for an attack. When nothing happened, he peered closer at the thing on the floor.

_Definitely not a blanket._

A girl not much younger than Kadaj picked herself up off the floor, muttering obscenities under her breath. Fixing her furious glare on the silver-haired teen, she spat, "What's your problem? You could have woken me up without shoving me onto the floor!"

Kadaj was taken aback. This girl – whom he had never seen before in his life – was in his house without his permission. She had been on his bed, lying on top of him, for Mother's sake! And now she was lecturing as if she owned the place!

The instinctive response to an attack is called 'fight or flight'. Flight simply wasn't Kadaj's style. That left only one alternative.

"Just who do you think you are?" He snapped, stepping off the bed so that he could thrust his face into hers.

"I could ask you the same thing!" The girl shot back, not the slightest bit intimidated.

"For you information, I'm the owner of the house you're in!" Kadaj hissed.

"Oh really?" The girl began. "Well…" She broke off suddenly, staring intently at Kadaj's face. "Why do you look so familiar?" She asked, mostly to herself.

"How should I know?" Kadaj shot back. "I've never seen you before in my life!"

"But…" Realization suddenly flooded into the girl's blue eyes. Her face paled and she took a step backward. "Kadaj?" She breathed.

Kadaj was slightly pleased that this girl somehow knew his name. The fear his reputation inspired in her was amusing. "Who wants to know?" He drawled arrogantly. He had expected her to stammer her apologies or to back up even further, looking for an exit. Maybe even faint. But the one thing that he would never have expected her to do in a million years was race forward and throw her arms around him. You can probably understand Kadaj's shock when the girl did just that.

"You ARE alive!" She cried, hugging him enthusiastically. "I'm so happy, even if you are a jerk!"

_What the hell?_ Kadaj wondered. _This girl's insane._

None too gently, he detached himself from her and pushed her away. The girl caught herself easily and scowled, her temper racing back.

"I saved your life to be treated like this?" She hissed. "Whatever. Screw you." She flipped him off with a rude hand gesture, turned around, and promptly collided with Yazoo.

"And how long have you been standing there?" The girl asked him, her eyebrow raised.

"Long enough," he replied, before fixing his gaze on Kadaj. "How are you feeling, brother?"

By now, Kadaj was totally lost. How did this girl know his brother? And why, in Mother's name, did Yazoo actually look worried? Yazoo never looked worried. He never showed any emotions.

Ignoring Yazoo's question, Kadaj asked, "What's going on, Yazoo? Who is this girl?"

"I don't know who she is," Yazoo admitted. "All I know is that she is powerful; perhaps even powerful enough to help us in our quest."

Kadaj was quiet, thinking over his brother's response. "How do you know this?"

Yazoo's eyes were trained upon his face; calculating, unreadable. Not one to sugarcoat things, he answered honestly. "She saved your life."

Kadaj's brain froze and did a double take, wondering if it had heard things correctly. But hadn't the girl said something about saving his life, too?

"How?" He asked through numb lips.

"I Healed you," the girl explained before Yazoo could reply. "With my magic."

Again, Kadaj's mind reeled in shock. This annoying, loud-mouthed girl was a sorceress? How could that possibly be?

"Who are you?" He demanded.

Obviously taking offense at his tone, the girl's eyes narrowed. "How about 'thank you for saving my pathetic life' or 'how can I ever repay you'?"

Kadaj opened his mouth to retort, but restrained himself. If the girl was anywhere near as powerful as Yazoo seemed to think she was, then they definitely needed her on their side.

"I'm sorry," Kadaj apologized, feigning shame. "I'm just really confused right now. This has never happened to me before."

The girl's expression visibly softened into an almost-smile. "It's okay. Lots of people are really disoriented after a Healing."

Kadaj barely refrained from scoffing at the girl's gullibility. What a fool she was, to readily trust a complete stranger! "Please," he said innocently, "will you tell me what happened?"

The girl smiled quizzically. "I was hoping you could tell me that. I have no idea how you managed to get into such bad shape."

Kadaj was finding it harder and harder not to just take out his sword and force this annoying girl to explain everything. He beat back the urge, reminding himself that Mother was at stake. "I know what happened to me," he snapped, unable to keep the irritation out of his voice. "But I know nothing about you."

The girl blinked, still smiling, but said nothing. Kadaj seethed. As if sensing the physical danger she was in, the girl's smile faded. Still, she kept her silence.

Kadaj's resolve broke. Quick as lightning, he grabbed the girl and pinned her to the wall. "Who and what are you?" He barked.

Blue eyes wide with outrage, the girl yanked free. A well-aimed elbow smashed into Kadaj's jaw and sent him flying onto his back. He lay there for a moment, the wind knocked out of him. Damn, this girl was strong! He slowly rolled over and stood up, rubbing his sore jaw. Blinking away the fuzziness on the edge of his vision, he tried to concentrate.

It appeared that Yazoo had attacked the girl after Kadaj had gone down. Any doubts Kadaj had about her strength and abilities soon faded when Yazoo was sent tumbling by a perfectly executed spinning crescent kick. Yazoo regained his footing faster than Kadaj had, but remained where he was, waiting for Kadaj's orders.

Kadaj's mind raced. His body had not yet caught up to the Healing; he was in no condition to fight. Yazoo had just been bested by the girl in a sparring match – easily. But she had to have a weakness. Everyone had a weakness, physical or mental.

That was it! Though the girl seemed to have no physical weakness, Kadaj already knew that she was gullible! Now he just had to think up a lie…

One popped into his head before Kadaj even thought about it. There was no time to wonder where it came from, so he simply rolled with it. Relaxing his posture and smiling, he exclaimed, "Well done! You've passed the test!"

The girl blinked in surprise. "Test?" She asked uncertainly.

Yazoo caught on quickly, and came to Kadaj's aid. "Forgive us, miss, but we had to be sure you were the right one. This was the only way to know."

"I don't understand," she stated, but she relaxed her fighting stance a bit.

"It's a long story," Kadaj explained, stalling for time. "Would you like to sit down?"

"No," the girl said simply.

Kadaj shrugged and sat down on his bed. Yazoo mimicked him and sat down in a wooden chair near the foot of Kadaj's bed. As he had hoped, the girl relaxed further once he and his brother no longer appeared ready to attack.

"Our story is complicated," Kadaj began. Already a lie was forming in his head and taking shape. "Our mother was not human. We don't know where she came from or what she was. What we do know is that she came to Earth to make a difference, to help it. But the people here were afraid of her. They hunted her ruthlessly, and they eventually killed her."

At this point in the story, the girl gasped. Kadaj's head had been lowered, to give him the appearance of grief, but now he looked up. Her eyes were riveted on Kadaj's, and tears were welling up in her cerulean eyes. While part of Kadaj wanted to loathe the girl for her naïveté, he found that he could not. The story up to this point, though slightly manipulated, was the truth. Was it only her innocence that made her care about his story? Or was there something else?

Looking down again, he continued, "Scientists were fascinated by Mother. They took her cells and experimented with them, believing they could create 'the perfect being'. Eventually, they believed they had achieved their goal. Thus, the Soldiers were born. The point of their existence was to serve human beings in whatever way demanded of them. Mother's strength and power flowed in their veins, but they did not care for her. They were traitors to her cause and they helped the humans contaminate the earth, speeding up its eventual demise. However, there was one Soldier who still remembered Mother and her cause. Sephiroth, he was called. The scientists had increased his percentage of Mother's cells, hoping to make him even stronger. They succeeded, but they did not plan on Mother's identity becoming stronger within him as well. Sephiroth took it upon himself to carry out Mother's will alone. He killed a great many of his traitorous kin and very nearly succeeded with Mother's plan. He was killed, though, by the few remaining Soldiers, and Mother's hopes for the planet were never fulfilled."

Kadaj stopped, letting everything sink in. The room was quiet for several minutes as the girl thought it over. Finally, she asked, "Where do you come into play in all of this?"

"After Sephiroth was killed, my brothers and I were released as part of the reconstruction effort. We had received more of Mother's cells than most Soldiers, but not as many as Sephiroth. Luckily, we received enough cells for Mother's identity to take root within us. However, she knew that we were not strong enough to carry out her will. Instead, she charged us with the task of taking back her cells and creating a new Sephiroth. Together, we would be strong enough to fulfill Mother's wishes, so that she could finally rest in peace."

"You speak as if your mother… I don't know… converses with you through your shared cells," the girl stated. "How is that possible if she's dead?"

"I told you, we don't know what she was or where she came from. But all of us have experienced her speaking to us before. I don't know why it happens. It simply does," Kadaj explained truthfully.

The girl nodded, almost to herself, then asked, "So I assume you escaped from your creators and set out on this quest to take back your mother's cells?"

Kadaj nodded.

"And what does you and your brother attacking me have anything whatsoever to do with all you have told me?"

"Mother contacted all of us recently. She wasn't very clear, but she said that someone was coming who had the power to turn this fight in our favor. It goes without saying that whoever she was talking about had to be more powerful than us, because what could a weaker person do that we couldn't do?" Kadaj asked smoothly. A few compliments could appease any woman.

"So you attacked me to determine whether I really was stronger than you?" The girl asked critically, unaffected by Kadaj's charm. "Couldn't you have just challenged me to spar or something?"

"You might have decided to go easy on us, and that wouldn't have helped our cause, would it?" Yazoo answered.

That coaxed a smile from the girl. "I never go easy on anyone," she said. The smile on her face disappeared suddenly as she thought of something. Turning to Yazoo, she accused, "What about my Healing? It's thanks to me that Kadaj is still alive, when you were powerless to do anything to help him! Did you still need more proof that I was more powerful than you after that?"

"I didn't," Yazoo explained quickly. "But I knew Kadaj would never believe me without proof."

"It's true," Kadaj jumped in. "What I can't see, I don't believe."

The girl snorted. "Well, that's stupid of you."

Kadaj was speechless. "What do you mean?" He sputtered indignantly.

"You can't see air, can you? But if it weren't there, we wouldn't be here, because we'd have suffocated. And I'm pretty sure we're all here, so that proves that air is there, even though we can't see it," the girl said smugly.

Kadaj and Yazoo exchanged baffled looks. They had never thought of it that way, but it did make sense… sort of. "I guess so…" Kadaj said slowly. The girl smirked in victory.

"Okay, I believe you," she conceded. "Your story makes sense. I assume that I'm supposed to help you find your mother's cells, then?"

Kadaj, still reeling from the girl's 'logic', nodded dazedly. Shaking himself out of it, he explained, "The scientists still have them, but they know we're after them. They keep moving them around secretly. Mother's cells call to us, though, and lead us in the vague direction of their whereabouts. We haven't been lucky yet, though."

"And what, exactly," the girl demanded, "Do you expect me to do to help?"

Another lie leapt, unbidden, to Kadaj's lips and flowed out before he even acknowledged its presence. "You'll know when the time comes. It's your destiny."

An odd looked crossed the girl's face. "Why do you say that?"

Kadaj shook his head. "I don't know," he murmured, faking a look of amazement. "Perhaps Mother just spoke through me."

The girl looked from Kadaj to Yazoo and back. "You really don't know, do you?" She asked finally. "I'm Destiny. That's my name."

Kadaj blinked, truly amazed now. That was simply too lucky. Could Mother really have just spoken through him? Were his lies coming from her?

Destiny continued, "It's eerie how alike your story is with mine. I was sent here to make a difference, like your mother. It is my Purpose. My mother…"

At this point, Destiny was overcome and trailed off, a terrible grief shining in her eyes. Kadaj stared at her, shocked that she felt so strongly about her mother. Just like him.

"My mother," Destiny choked out, "died to save me. It's my fault she died. If it weren't for me, Mother would still be alive…" She sank onto her bed, head in her hands, and fell silent.

Yazoo moved suddenly, surprising Kadaj, who watched as his brother went to sit by Destiny. He took her hand gently and bowed his own silvery head beside hers.

This cute picture was the first thing Loz saw when he walked into the room. "Ha!" He crowed, shattering the mood. "And you tease me about being a baby?"

The air whistled as a whip of golden light sent Loz crashing into the wall. Kadaj was on his feet in an instant, hand already reaching for his sword. The whip disintegrated as quickly as it had appeared.

"Sorry," Destiny apologized, relaxing her tensed position. "I got carried away."

"Carried away?" Kadaj repeated in disbelief. "You almost pushed him through the wall!"

"I said I'm sorry!" Destiny insisted. "I can't stand people who don't think before they open their mouths."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Loz demanded, pushing himself up heavily.

"Oh, I dunno," she snapped, pretending to look thoughtful. "Maybe that you're an insensitive dumbass?"

Loz's reaction obviously wasn't what Destiny had expected. He burst into tears. "You meanie!" He whined. Destiny looked taken aback.

"Now you've done it," Kadaj sighed. "Quit crying, Loz, you big baby."

"I am not a baby!" He sobbed.

Yazoo nudged Destiny. "Apologize," he whispered. "It's the only way to shut him up."

Destiny was indignant. "He started it! And I already apologized for hitting him! What more does he want?"

Yazoo didn't reply, opting instead to go stand by Kadaj, who was speaking to Loz in hushed tones. Destiny scowled and crossed her arms. _Fine. Take his side. See if I care,_ she thought defiantly.

By then, Loz had stopped crying. He scrubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and took several deep breaths. When Loz was under control again, Yazoo asked, "What did you find, Loz?"

"Good news!" Loz's voice was slightly deeper and rougher than before, but there was little other proof that he had been crying. For that, Destiny grudgingly admired him.

Kadaj and Yazoo were instantly alert. Very little could brighten Loz up so quickly after crying. "What?" Kadaj demanded.

"None of the cells lost in the chase could be recovered, but I got close enough to Shinra to overhear him ask one if his scientists if 'the rest are safe'. Kadaj, I think more of Mother's cells still exist!"

"Another chance," Kadaj breathed.

"But that's not the best part! I think I know where they are! Because after that, Shinra told the scientist to check on their progress and the scientist went into Shinra's house. Ten minutes later, he comes back and says everything's going fine! That means…"

"The lab is in Shinra's house!" Kadaj finished ecstatically. Then his face clouded over. "But we checked his place thoroughly just days ago. Besides, the lab would have to be huge, and Shinra's house is small."

Destiny snorted and the three brothers turned to look at her. She raised her eyebrows at them. "Haven't any of you ever read mystery novels?" She asked scathingly. When none of them answered, she shook her head in disgust. In an overly patient voice, as if she were speaking to five year olds, Destiny explained, "There are things called trap doors, where you press a hidden button and a door to a hidden room will be revealed. You can find out around where a hidden room is by knocking on walls. When you hear something hollow sounding, you should look around there for a button or hidden door or something. Etcetera, etcetera."

"How do you know this?" Kadaj asked suspiciously.

Destiny gave him an I-can't-believe-you're-so-stupid look. "Did I not already mention that these things are extremely common in mystery novels? Besides, my house is really old, so it has a bunch of hidden rooms and trap doors."

"So you would be able to identify a hidden room or door, then?" Kadaj asked, his thin lips curling upwards into a crafty smile.

"Duh." She said, rolling her eyes.

Not even needing to fake his excitement now, Kadaj lied, "This must be your purpose for being with us, then, Destiny! Come with us now. Help us find Mother, and you will have made all the difference needed in this world!"

Destiny stared at him, attention caught. "You mean," she breathed, "If I find your mother… I could go home?"

The pained homesickness in her eyes nearly caused Kadaj to drop his deception and confess. Nearly. "Yes," he lied heavily, almost hoping she wouldn't buy it.

She did.

Squaring her shoulders, she looked all three brothers in the eye. "I will help find your mother," she stated, determination radiating off of her. "I give you my word."

**---**

_Fluffy'sMate17_

**---**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5: The Lab's Secrets**_

_**Disclaimer: Right-o… Don't own it, folks. **_

_Recap: Destiny just promised the three silver haired brothers that she would help them find their mother._

**---**

The wind roared past Kadaj's ears as he sped towards Shinra's 'secret' lab. Kadaj usually allowed himself to loosen up and enjoy these high-speed thrill rides, but today he was so tense that he could barely move. He had yet to identify the cause of his strange behavior, unfortunately. Was it simply nerves before another battle for Mother's cells? Was Mother trying to communicate her frustration about not being found yet? Or was it something else?

Kadaj pulled himself from his thoughts as he approached Shinra's place. Braking sharply, he screeched to a stop. A moment later, Yazoo and Loz pulled in on either side of him and hopped off their bikes.

Kadaj glanced over his shoulder and cleared his throat pointedly. When his passenger didn't respond, he stated, "You know, Destiny, there are two things I'd love to be doing right now. One would be to get off this bike and find Mother. The other would be to breathe."

Destiny flushed an angry red as Yazoo and Loz snickered. Relinquishing her grip on Kadaj's waist, she retorted, "Sorry, I didn't realize breathing was so important to you. It's highly overrated, you know."

Dismounting and removing his helmet, he answered, "You try going without it for a while. I bet you'll find that you're a little more attached to it that you thought."

"That's one bet you'd lose!" Destiny replied as she shakily dismounted. "I held my breath the whole way here."

"Scaredy-cat!" Kadaj laughed, leading the way up the stairs to the front door.

"You'd better watch out, puppy, 'cuz THIS kitty's got claws," Destiny hissed. "And, by the way, I am SO driving on the way back. Who taught you how to ride? A stuntman?"

Kadaj rolled his eyes, but didn't reply as he came to the front door of Shinra's house. He smashed right through it without breaking stride.

"Well, THAT was subtle," Destiny muttered sarcastically. "Should we spray-paint 'Kadaj was here' onto the side of the wall while we're at it?"

"Good idea. Got any paint?"

"Sorry, fresh out. I have some sexy, red lipstick, though, if you wanna write 'Kadaj is gay' or something like that."

Kadaj ignored her, choosing to address all three instead. "Split up," he ordered. "Look for anything that might lead us to Shinra's lab."

Yazoo and Loz split up without question. Destiny complied more reluctantly, grumbling as she went to examine a bookcase.

Twenty minutes later, no progress had been made and Kadaj was rapidly losing patience. "Well, Destiny? Where is this secret entrance of yours?" He snapped finally.

"Relax, Kadaj," Destiny said wryly. "These things take time… and an insane amount of luck."

"You mean to tell me that we have no hope of finding it?" Kadaj asked incredulously. "This is all just a wild goose chase?"

Destiny shrugged. "Basically."

"DAMMIT!" Kadaj yelled, banging his fist against the wall in frustration.

**Click.**

The brick under Kadaj's fist slid back in inch before his astonished eyes. And there, underneath the brick's previous resting place, innocently sat the clichéd red button.

Kadaj blinked a couple times, then turned to smirk at an open-mouthed Destiny. "That insanely lucky enough for you?"

Destiny snapped her mouth shut. "That was pretty good, Prince Charming, but I'm not entirely convinced. Win it big time on one of those rigged game shows and I'll never doubt you again."

Kadaj raised an eyebrow. "Prince Charming?"

"You must have been pretty damn charming to win Lady Luck over so entirely," Destiny explained. "I wouldn't get too cocky if I were you, though. Luck may be beautiful, but she's one fickle bitch."

"She may be a bitch," Kadaj countered arrogantly. "But she's MY bitch."

Destiny rolled her eyes. "Whatever." Then, raising her voice, she called, "Oy! Loz! Yazoo! Get your butts over here!"

The two brothers made their way over and Kadaj filled them in on the finding of the button.

"Is that it, then?" Loz asked. "This button will reveal the entrance to the lab?"

"I think I can safely say that this button will either open the doorway to the lab… or activate the self destruction sequence," Destiny stated matter-of-factly.

"How do you know there's a self-destructing mechanism built into this house?" Yazoo asked, confused.

"I was just going out on a limb there," Destiny admitted. "Besides, even if the button does cause the building to self destruct, they always give you a countdown first. No worries there."

"We're just going to have to take that chance," Kadaj said determinedly. "For Mother." Not bothering to wait for a reply, he pressed the button.

The bricks to the right of the button immediately slid back and behind the other bricks. However, what was revealed was neither the expected long, dark hallway nor the seemingly endless, spiraling staircase. No, what was behind that cold, brick wall was something much worse.

It was an elevator.

Yep, you read that correctly. An elevator.

How is this worse than dark hallways or endless stairs, you ask? The answer is pathetically simple.

Damn that catchy elevator music!

Despite the horrors of tasteless music, our heroes bravely stepped into the elevator.

"There's only one button," Loz pointed out.

"Oh, well done, Loz," Yazoo muttered sarcastically. "Did you figure that out all by yourself?"

"Shut it, you two," Kadaj ordered. "Whoever's closest to the button, press it."

Did I forget to mention how uncomfortable and crowded elevators can get? Honestly, I think it was quite an accomplishment that all four of them _fit in_ that elevator, never mind pressing the button and not dying of claustrophobia on the way down.

Needless to say, they were all extremely happy when the doors opened and allowed them to tumble out. For the first three seconds, anyway.

"Well, this is depressing," Destiny commented, affectively summing up all of their thoughts into a four word sentence.

The lab was huge, gray, and dimly lit. An endless, barren wasteland was the oh-so-cheerful impression the newcomers received.

**Bing!**

Destiny jumped and turned as the elevator closed its doors behind them. She swore colorfully. "Guys, get a load of this."

The whole wall behind them was lined with elevators.

"You mean if we had bothered pushing a few more bricks, we wouldn't have had to cram ourselves into one elevator?" Kadaj asked, outraged. "I mean, what the f- HEY, A LIGHT SWITCH!" The easily distracted Kadaj scampered over to flick the first switch. A handful of lights came on. Encouraged, he swept all of them up. Light flooded the lab. "That's better," Kadaj said, satisfied.

"You're right!" Destiny exclaimed. "This place might not be so bad after all. Who knows? A little paint, some pictures, a surround-sound system, and this might actually be a good…" Destiny caught sight of herself in a mirror. "HOLY SHIT! KADAJ, TURN THE LIGHTS OFF _NOW_."

"Uh… why?" He asked, looking at the petrified reflection of Destiny in the mirror. "What's wrong?"

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'WHAT'S WRONG'? LOOK AT ME!" Destiny shrieked.

Kadaj stared at her, perplexed. Destiny scowled at his cluelessness, but calmed down slightly. "You are SUCH a boy," she muttered, disgusted. In an overly patient voice, as if she were talking to a child, Destiny pointed out, "My skin, Kadaj. Have your pathetically inattentive eyes noticed anything different about my skin?"

Kadaj examined Destiny's skin critically, but even his genetically enhanced eyes were incapable of noticing what only the female eye could see.

"It's washed out!" Destiny wailed. "This reflective gray is awful with my skin tone!"

"Only a girl would notice something like that," Yazoo 'whispered' to Kadaj, who sniggered.

"Actually, she's right," Loz pointed out. "Before you turned on the lights, Kadaj, the darker gray was enhancing our skin color. Making it look brighter, you know? But these really light grays wash out the color and make you look kind of pale and sallow."

Kadaj and Yazoo stared at their brother, mouths working soundlessly.

"I don't have a problem!" Loz said defiantly.

"I appreciate your support, Loz, but… did you know that eight out of ten males that go into the fashion business are gay?" Destiny asked, eyebrows raised.

Kadaj and Yazoo choked on their own spit.

"WHAT?" Yazoo sputtered. "You're GAY, Loz?"

"I never said that!" Loz protested.

"Well, this explains a lot," Kadaj said, smirking. "Like that poster of…"

A sudden, intense burst of frustration and anger erupted within Kadaj, so strong that he nearly doubled over. Loz and Yazoo were instantly on alert.

"Kadaj?" Loz asked uncertainly.

"We need to quit fooling around," Kadaj ground out, straightening. "Yazoo, Loz, the three of us will split up and look for Mother. Destiny, you stay here and guard the elevators. Touch nothing. If you think you hear someone coming, get one of us IMMEDIATELY. Understand?"

"Whatever." Destiny had gone back to sulking at being ordered around again.

Kadaj rolled his eyes and turned to his brothers. "Yazoo, you go right. Loz, left. I'll take center. Go."

The three brothers went their separate ways, leaving Destiny alone. That just shows how intelligent THEY are. Barely ten minutes later, Destiny was ready to pull her hair out. She HATED being left behind, and she always had. Even as a young child, she had memories of her father leaving to complete some lordly duty of his. She'd hated it even then.

Destiny looked around again, but still none of the silver haired brothers were visible. By chance – or perhaps by Fate – Destiny's eyes alit on a small, almost invisible door right next to the mirror she had been looking into earlier.

"How did I miss that?" She wondered aloud. "And how come none of the others have checked it yet?"

A mischievous thought suddenly made itself known to Destiny. Really what was the harm in going to investigate a little? Besides, it wasn't like she had promised Kadaj that she would obey him. Only that she would help him find his mother.

Destiny smirked slightly as she went to approach the door. She had the perfect excuse ready, should one of the brothers catch her. How could they argue with the fact that she had promised to help find their mother and was damn well going to keep her promise?

She tried the handle – locked, of course. But, then again, why would it be locked if it weren't something important?

Taking a deep breath, Destiny allowed a thin trickle of her magic to pool in her hand. A moment later, it solidified into a glowing, golden key, as she had practiced a hundred times before.

Sliding the key into the lock, Destiny was pleased to hear the submissive **click** of the door giving way beneath the magical object. No longer needed, the key faded as Destiny pushed the door open.

The room was dimly lit. A single, fluorescent bulb hung from the ceiling in the center of the room, giving off a faint glow. Destiny could see other lights scattered around the room, but none of them seemed to be working.

Starting into the room, Destiny tripped on air (this takes talent, believe me) and had to grab the wall for balance. Purely by accident, her flailing hand hit the unnoticed, yet clearly visible light switch on the wall. The sudden, glaring light took Destiny by surprise. Half blind, she was forced to stand still until the small, yellow dots checkering her vision faded.

When she had regained the ability to see, Destiny took her first good look around the room. If possible, this new room was even more depressing than the rest of the lab. In the center of the room stood a large, cylindrical tank, which was filled to the brim with what looked like water. Suspended in the tank, silver hair floating eerily around his head, was an unconscious man. And before you ask, yes, he was naked.

Destiny scowled, embarrassed to be in the same room as a naked man. It wasn't as if she had never _seen_ a man before, but…

Wait. That came out wrong. What I meant to say (or rather, type) was that Destiny was not ignorant of the male anatomy – Kagome had made sure of that – though she was a virgin. The men that I mentioned Destiny had seen nude were only her father and her brother, so get those perverted thoughts out of your heads, people! Even that had been several years ago, when she was still young enough for it to be considered 'decent'.

Most of Destiny's embarrassment came from the knowledge that one of the silver haired brothers could walk in on her at any time and see her examining the nude form of someone who was obviously a relative of theirs.

Swallowing her embarrassment and willing the pink tinge on her cheeks to fade, Destiny approached the tank. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that an air mask covered the man's nose and mouth, which was connected by a tube to large container behind him. Destiny also came to the conclusion that, while the stranger was better looking that Loz, he was nowhere near as sexy as Kadaj or Yazoo.

In an effort to determine whether the man was floating in liquid or gas, our heroine was currently balancing on her tiptoes as she attempted to make herself tall enough to touch the unknown substance in the tank. Kadaj's warning words of 'touch nothing' lay forgotten in the back of Destiny's mind.

With a final strain of her muscles, Destiny managed to touch a finger to whatever was keeping the man afloat in the tank. Instantly, several things happened in rapid succession.

Destiny fell back with a cry as the substance burned her finger. The stranger's eyes shot open. Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz came running.

For a moment, the silver haired men simply stared at each other in shock. Finally, Kadaj found his voice.

"Sephiroth?"

_---_

_My Dear Readers,_

_Well??? Aren't you happy??? I got this chapter to you in, like, a month! I've decided that I'm going to take a break on one of my other fics, so I'll have more time for this one now! Besides, how could I say no when so many of you asked for a quicker update? So, here it is. Hope you enjoyed it!_

_Fluffy'sMate17_

_---_

_**MY SINCEREST GRATITUDE TO…**_

_**- Xanzi**_

_**- Tri17**_

_**- Skavnema**_

_**- Devil-Speaker**_

_**- Deltadasher**_

_**- Yodel**_

_**- Levidicus**_

_**- Charlotte Jones**_

_**- Shining Apocalypse**_

_**FOR CONVINCING ME TO HURRY UP WITH THE NEXT CHAPTER!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6: Sephiroth**_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine. Yet.**_

_Recap: Destiny and the silver-haired brothers broke into Shinra's lab, and… what's this? THEY MADE ANOTHER SEPHIROTH?!_

**---**

The man christened 'Sephiroth' opened his mouth to speak. Destiny braced herself for yet another sexy, male voice to compete with. She'd always prided herself on having a pretty voice, but here, her voice was on the same level as most of the guys! You can't even imagine how big a blow that is to poor Destiny's ego.

It was almost a relief when nothing but a low rumble could be heard through his air mask.

The three silver-haired brothers stared at him, trying unsuccessfully to figure out what their dear elder brother wanted. Sephiroth banged against the glass. It vibrated ominously. When his brothers still didn't get it, he started acting out what he wanted them to do.

This was too much for Destiny. When nude males started playing charades, she knew it was always safest to make excuses and run away. She retreated to lean against the wall and suck her burnt finger. The chemicals spread and her tongue burned too.

After a little while, the burning sensation faded to a warm tingling. Destiny chanced looking up. The others had gotten nowhere. She rolled her eyes.

_I will never understand why men think they're the 'superior' gender._

"Hey, guys, you realize you could just-" She began, but Kadaj hushed her.

"Can't you see that we're busy?" He demanded, annoyed.

"But if you-"

"Go keep watch or something." He waved her away.

Destiny narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth. "Fine," she hissed, injected all her sarcasm into the word. "If you three insist on being idiots, I won't stop you. But I, unlike you, have a life, and I'd prefer not to waste it here!"

With that said, she marched determinedly up to the tank. All four brothers watched in shock as she lithely hoisted herself up to straddle the side, tensing her thighs around the safety glass for balance. When she was confidant in her stability, she braced herself for the inevitable pain and lowered her hand into the chemicals.

Much to her surprise, the chemicals didn't shock her system again. Relieved, she lowered more of her arm into the tank and motioned for Sephiroth to take her hand. He stared at her for a moment, calculating, then reached up and took her hand.

An electric jolt shot up her arm and dissipated. Destiny gasped and nearly toppled headfirst into the tank. She caught herself just in time and stared at Sephiroth, perplexed. He looked back up at her steadily, a mysterious gleam in his eye. Unsure whether the feeling had been real or just her imagination, Destiny slowly tightened her hand around his and began to pull him up.

With the chemicals helping to buoy him up, Destiny didn't have to strain herself to hard to get his upper body out of the chemicals. When she placed his hand on the rim of the tank, though, his wet hands slipped. Cursing, she grabbed his wrist. This time, before putting his hand on the rim, she wiped it briskly across her linen-covered stomach. She did the same with his other hand when she could reach it. Once his head was out of the chemicals, she gently detached the air mask from his face and let it drop. Little by little, Sephiroth and Destiny worked together to hoist him out of the tank.

After what seemed like hours, his entire body was out of the tank and braced against the side. Now came the other part: how to get him down safely?

Panting, Destiny turned to glare at the three watchers. "Oi! If you don't have anything better to do, then get your butts over here and help get your brother down!" Startled, they complied. Destiny expertly maneuvered Sephiroth so that he was on his stomach, holding onto the rim. "You're only a few feet from the ground," she told him. "Let go. Your brothers will catch you."

Sephiroth did as he was told. Yazoo and Loz caught him on both sides and supported him away from the tank. Kadaj began to follow, but a screech from Destiny stopped him.

"_Aren't you forgetting about someone?_"

Kadaj turned back and smirked at the picture Destiny made. Wet and disheveled, the irritated expression on her face only added to his amusement. "No, I don't think I've forgotten anything important. Why?"

"Not funny, Kadaj! Help me down!"

"Why would I want to do that? Honestly, I think I like you better up there. Besides, if you got yourself up there, you can get yourself down." That being said, he started to walk away.

"Kadaj!" Destiny cried out, an almost frantic note in her voice. "I mean it! I don't think I can get down!"

Her apparent desperation caught Kadaj's attention and he turned back again. "How come?"

"Well, let's think. I just helped your huge, muscled brother out of a big tank of chemicals single-handedly. I'M TIRED, STUPID!"

"If you have enough energy to be sarcastic, then it can't be that bad," Kadaj shrugged, turning away once more.

Destiny glared at his back, resigning herself to a humiliating and painful collision with the floor. Both were surprised, however, when a sexy male voice came to her defense.

"Do it, Kadaj," Sephiroth ordered coolly.

Destiny winced inwardly. _Damn sexy male voices!_

Kadaj stared at his elder, shocked, but he wasn't one to disobey. Unwillingly, he went back to the tank and held open his arms. "Jump," he droned. "I'll catch you."

Destiny glared down at him. "For some reason, I'm not feeling very reassured."

Kadaj rolled his eyes. "Just jump."

Carefully, Destiny swung her leg over the side of the tank and rested her butt against the edge. She swallowed. It was at least a seven-foot fall.

"Hurry up, already!"

Kadaj's voice startled Destiny into losing her grip. Her fingers slipped on the rim and her back slid down the tank… right into Kadaj's oh-so-welcoming arms.

Realizing that she hadn't hit the floor, Destiny opened her eyes. Her arms had unconsciously gone around Kadaj's neck, and his arms were wrapped securely around her waist.

There was only one minor detail.

Owing to the fact that Destiny was so stressed about heights, she had unconsciously tensed when she had fallen. Even as Kadaj grabbed her waist, she didn't relax enough to let her body slide down safely into his arms. As it was, her stiff shoulders had forced her elbows to rest awkwardly on his shoulders – putting her head several inches above his.

Which meant that his head was several inches below hers.

Which meant…

Kadaj realized it before Destiny did. He froze in shock at the feeling of her amazingly soft breasts pressed up against his face. Ever-clueless Destiny hadn't noticed a thing, and only wondered why Kadaj had stopped in the middle of putting her down.

"Kadaj?" She asked, looking down. Then she got it. Surprisingly… she wasn't angry or embarrassed. The poor guy couldn't have prevented it if he'd tried. What surprised her most was the laugh that bubbled out of her chest as she pulled away and saw his dazed expression.

"Oops!" She giggled. "My bad!"

Kadaj blinked a few times, then shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his foggy mind. Destiny burst into renewed laughter, unexpectedly pleased to find that she had such an effect over him. At least… her breasts did. That thought only made her laugh harder.

Yazoo and Loz looked her way curiously, wondering what they had missed. Destiny swaggered towards them, letting Kadaj trail after her like a lost puppy.

"Sooo," she drawled, high spirits renewed. "What now?"

"Shinra and his scientists will be back soon," Sephiroth informed them. "They never stay away too long."

"Our bikes are out front," Kadaj replied, his mind already back on business. "Let's go."

The brothers turned to go, Yazoo and Loz still on either side of Sephiroth, in case he should need their assistance.

Destiny stared. _Can they really be this clueless?_

Yazoo glanced back at the motionless girl. "Coming?"

"Are you really going to let him ride a motorcycle like that?" Destiny countered uneasily. "Because that's one thing I'd rather not see, thanks."

The three remnants turned to stare at the still naked Sephiroth. That's when it finally dawned on them that they had a brother, he was naked, and Destiny had been in here the whole time and had no doubt gotten quite a good look at his… masculinity.

"Just so you know, you three look like pink fish," Destiny pointed out. The gaping brothers snapped their mouths shut and tried to pretend like they didn't really care. Inwardly, though, they were all wondering the same thing.

_If she isn't impressed with Sephiroth's package, then what are the guys like where she comes from?!_

Sephiroth, on the other hand, shrugged unashamedly. "There are some lab coats in the closet over there." Relieved at this chance to escape the awkwardness of the whole situation, Yazoo hurried over to grab one.

"Get one for me too, would ya?" Destiny asked in a muffled voice. The others couldn't help but glance her way, wondering what was making her sound like she was speaking from underneath a blanket.

Four pairs of eyes froze and widened as a creamy expanse of skin met their gaze, as well as a black, lacy bit of nothing. Destiny's head appeared a second later, her hair slightly ruffled, as she pulled her wet shirt off her arms.

"What?" She demanded, feeling their eyes on her.

Loz voiced their thoughts for them. "Are you stripping?"

With surprising strength, Destiny flung her wet shirt at his face. It hit with a resounding slap, peeled off his face, and fell to the ground. Loz just stood there, stunned and stinging.

"What were you saying?" She asked sweetly.

"N-nothing," Loz muttered, still in a state of shock.

"I didn't think so."

When Yazoo returned with the lab coats, Destiny snatched one from him wordlessly and buttoned it up. Sephiroth did the same.

The group returned to the awful elevators, and it was decided that Yazoo, Loz, and Sephiroth would share one while Kadaj and Destiny took a separate one. The ride up was a quiet one until the pair heard a thump coming from the right of them. Destiny raised her eyebrows at Kadaj, silently questioning the noise's origins.

"Loz probably started humming along to the elevator music," Kadaj explained.

Destiny looked surprised and a chuckle escaped her lips.

"What?" Kadaj asked irritably, wondering why she was laughing at him.

Destiny shook her head in amusement and smiled at him. "Who knew you had a sense of humor?"

Now it was Kadaj's turn to look surprised. "I was serious."

"I know. That's what made it so funny. You sounded so bored when you said it. Like this kind of thing happens everyday or something. It was just… funny."

Kadaj blinked. She appreciated his sense of humor. It felt… nice.

**Bing!**

Kadaj jumped into a defensive position, startled. Destiny laughed again as she exited the elevator. "Wow, Kadaj. You really need to calm down. Maybe you should take a day off, go to a spa or something. Even guys enjoy massages."

"Did someone say massage? I think Loz could use one of those," Yazoo teased as he and Loz helped Sephiroth from the other elevator.

"Shut up!" Loz growled, rubbing his sore arm.

"It is what you deserve for being weak minded," Sephiroth stated evenly, leading the way out the broken door. Yazoo and Loz scampered after him, knowing the stairs wouldn't be easy for him so soon after he had learned how to walk again. Destiny and Kadaj followed in a comfortable silence.

At the motorcycles, Kadaj asked Sephiroth, "Do you feel up to driving or do you want to ride with someone?"

"I must first readjust myself to this world's laws before I can drive again. Being weightless for such a period of time has confused my senses. I will ride with you, Kadaj."

Kadaj swelled at the honor and nodded. After helping his beloved brother onto his bike, he and the other remnants mounted. Destiny wandered over to Yazoo.

"Can anybody crash this party?" She asked, grinning at him.

"No, I'm sorry. May I see your ticket, please?" He asked in that soft voice of his.

Destiny swatted his arm and swung her leg over his bike. "No, you may not," she retorted, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"If you two are finished…" Kadaj interrupted.

"Yeah," Destiny said. "Let's blow this popsicle stand!"

Her companions stared at her.

"Um… never mind."

_Some things are better left unexplained._

**---**

_My Dear, Loving, Loyal Readers, Who Will Totally Forgive Me for Taking Forever on This Latest Chapter,_

_PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I GOT STUCK! I HAD MIDTERMS! I CAME DOWN WITH A DEADLY VIRUS AND MADE A MIRACULOUSLY UNEXPECTED RECOVERY! (Wonder if they're buying any of this…)_

_Truthfully and honestly, I got the dreaded Writer's Block, and gave up for a while. But then I really did make a miraculous recovery, so if Writer's Block can be considered a virus, then I didn't really lie to you!! And I really did have midterms. So please don't hate me! Please!_

_Fluffy'sMate17_

**---**

**MY UTMOST DEVOTION TO…**

**- Devil-Speaker**

**- Yodel**

**- Chaotic DeepGround Chocobo**

**(NOT THE FLYING MONKEY-RATS AND MONKEY-PIGS! ANYTHING BUT THEM!)**

**- Iana Silmir**

**- Lady-Ukime**

**- Skavnema**

**- KrisSk8Gurl**

**(I'm coughing, I'm coughing. Keep your pants on. )**

**- Tri17**

**- Xanzi**

**- FinalFantasyVIIMya**

**- CheshireCat .O**

**(If your mind's gonna pick up a pizza, can you ask it to get an extra large pepperoni? This chapter has left me famished!)**

**- The Transdresser**

**- Forgiven4ever**

**(I hope this wasn't too late!! Are you insane yet?)**

**- Clusterlizard1**

**(Jenova in the tank? I didn't even think about that! But I kinda like the idea of a naked Sephiroth in a tank, don't you? XD)**

**- Yazoo IS Superior**

**- Shibara1310**

**(Of course Loz is gay. What are you talking about? )**

**- Shinorei**

**(COOKIES!!! DIVES)**

**- Angelofstrife2007**

**- Purplewinx**

**- Ash Phoenix**

…**FOR BEING AMAZING. PERIOD.**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7: Setting the Stage**_

_**Disclaimer: Square Enix owns it, etc etc. Lucky bastards.**_

_Recap: Destiny rescued Sephiroth from the tank in Shinra's lab single-handedly. Kadaj and the others were too busy playing charades to help. P_

* * *

Destiny glared accusingly up at the cold night sky. Stars twinkled down at her innocently, and her back ached in protest to the hard concrete beneath it.

It had been a week since Destiny's ingenuity and daring had saved Sephiroth from that tank. Seven long days of boredom and frustration and hurt. Seriously, would it have killed them to say 'thank you'?

As it was, the others had practically forgotten existence these past couple of days. They were too busy "planning" and "preparing" to bother telling her what the hell they were planning and preparing for. Even worse, there had been no sign that her task in this dimension was anywhere near complete.

Faint vibrations in the concrete alerted Destiny to someone's approach.

"Care for some company?" Kadaj asked, gracefully seating himself beside her. Destiny grunted noncommittally, never taking her eyes away from the stars. "You're mad at me, aren't you?" He sighed.

Destiny shot him an icy glare.

"I'm sorry that we haven't been around much lately," he apologized, honest regret in his voice. "Would it help if I told you why we've been so busy?" Destiny shrugged, trying to look uninterested… and failing miserably. Grinning in triumph, Kadaj commenced his tale.

"The battle that happened a week ago was supposed to determine the final fate of this world. Either we'd win and carry out Mother's plans, or we'd die trying. Unfortunately, as you saw, all did not go as planned. We lost that fight, but the war isn't over yet. Sephiroth thinks that we should attack right away – strike while the iron is still hot, in a sense. We've spent these last couple of days planning strategies and preparing for the fight. We still have plenty of materia left-"

"What's materia?" Destiny interrupted in spite of herself. Kadaj chuckled.

"I keep forgetting how new you are to this. Materia is power forged from the lifestream."

"Lifestream?" She repeated helplessly.

"Long story," Kadaj waved it away impatiently. "Point is, we're attacking soon. In fact… we're planning to do it tomorrow."

There was a long silence as Destiny digested this new piece of information. "Am I expected to fight?" She asked finally. Kadaj frowned thoughtfully.

"You could, I guess… but it's not necessary. We can handle them, easy," he bragged.

"Good," Destiny muttered darkly. "I don't feel any particular urge to stick my neck out for you at the moment."

"Aw, you're not still angry, are you?" Kadaj asked, nudging her in the side gently with his knee. "I said sorry. What more do you want?"

"It's not just that!" Destiny exclaimed, springing automatically into a tense sitting position so that her eyes were in line with his. "It isn't just the fact that you and the others abandoned me for a week without so much as a 'thanks' after all I did for you! There's more to it, don't you see?"

Taken aback, Kadaj attempted to scoot surreptitiously away from the infuriated girl. "We've been busy," he protested weakly.

"Don't give me that crap! It would have taken two seconds to thank me. Or couldn't you even spare me that much?" Kadaj opened his mouth to retort, but a new voice cut him off.

"You mustn't be too hard on him, Destiny," Sephiroth murmured in his silken baritone as he came to stand on Kadaj's other side. "I am afraid that Kadaj and the others have been kept busy on my orders. We were not sufficiently prepared last time, and it was extremely fortunate that you were there to correct our mistake. I do not intend for such an accident to happen again."

Destiny's jaw clenched, but her voice was controlled when she responded, "But what about you, Sephiroth? I seem to recall you spending a day or two in recovery after I rescued you from that tank. Couldn't you have thanked me then?"

Kadaj looked anxious at Destiny's pointed reference to the debt Sephiroth owed her, but the eldest silver-haired brother simply dipped his head courteously. "You are quite right, and I crave your pardon. I'm afraid that I was focused on strategies for the upcoming battle. It must have slipped my mind."

Destiny considered this for a moment before turning back to Sephiroth, a sly gleam in her eye. "Well, I _suppose_ I could forgive you," she said coyly. "But in return, I'd like to ask a little…" Destiny licked her lips purposefully as she pretended to search for the right word. "…_favor_ of you."

An arrogant smirk twisted Sephiroth's lips as he recognized the implications of Destiny's words. "Anything, my dear," he purred. Kadaj squirmed uncomfortably between the two, but the charged atmosphere evaporated when Destiny leaned back with a satisfied smile on her face.

"Good," she stated. "Then I'll be coming with you all tomorrow."

For a moment, Sephiroth's eyes narrowed as he realized that he'd been used, but he quickly schooled his features back to their usual smoothness. "Your concern is appreciated, but unnecessary," he began. "We are more than a match for our enemies. You worry needlessly."

"You think I intend to fight?" Destiny asked disdainfully, her eyebrows rising. "No. I am not like you men, who think all moments not spent fighting, eating, or seeking your own pleasures are moments wasted. In this battle, I am content with remaining neutral, so long as it provides me with an escape from the relentless boredom of this past week."

There was a lengthy pause as Sephiroth tried to stare Destiny down, but she stood firm. After what seemed like an eternity, Sephiroth inclined his head slightly in acknowledgment. "Very well, then," he said. "We leave tomorrow at noon. If you are not ready, we will go without you. And as for you," he added to Kadaj, "don't stay up too much later. You will need all your strength tomorrow."

"I'll go in now," his brother replied quickly, jumping to his feet. Sephiroth nodded approvingly, and Kadaj swelled with pride. "You coming, Destiny?" He asked brightly.

"You guys can go ahead. I'm gonna stay out here a little while longer," she responded. "Good night."

"Night," Kadaj answered, already turning away.

"Sleep well, my dear," Sephiroth rumbled, his cyan eyes gleaming faintly in the night. Destiny shuddered at the dark promises she saw shining there, all her instincts screaming at her to run. Then he turned away to follow Kadaj inside, and the feeling passed.

Destiny watched them go with a mixture of relief and unease. Something about Sephiroth put her on the edge, but she could figure out exactly what it was. All she knew was that whenever he was around, her manner changed subtly to one of wary readiness – like a cornered animal. Only once his probing, blue-green eyes were fixed elsewhere could her tense muscles relax and her heartbeat slow to its normal rate.

She simply couldn't understand it. Sephiroth was just like his brothers: silver hair, penetrating eyes, sexy voice, hot body… and yet, he was also different. He was calm and serious and deliberate. He had none of Yazoo's sarcastic humor, Loz's tough guy act, or Kadaj's playful insults. He was empty of it all, and Destiny's instincts told her that he was dangerous.

Destiny's aversion to Sephiroth had been gradual, but undeniable. It had started out as a nagging feeling in the back of her mind, but as Sephiroth had grown stronger, so had it. Finally, Destiny had been forced to admit to herself that there was something seriously wrong about the guy.

_I don't trust him as far as I could throw him._

Shaking herself from her thoughts, Destiny stood slowly and proceeded to give herself a careful dusting. It was late, and she needed to be up and ready by noon the next day. This was promising to be an interesting fight, and she wouldn't give up her chance to witness it for anything in the world.

Glancing up at the sparkling sky one last time, Destiny allowed a quiet sigh to escape from her lips.

_I just hope that once this battle is over, my task here really is complete. This world… there is something about it that grates on my nerves. I cannot stay here. I cannot bear it. Please, God… send me home soon._

* * *

"Are we there yet?" Destiny complained as she hung onto Kadaj's waist for dear life.

"If you ask that question one more time, I'm going to push you off this motorcycle and let you walk back home," he retorted. They had been on the road for the past two hours, and everyone was getting irritable. Believe it or not, the Lost City is – you guessed it! – lost. And the reason why it's lost is because it's in the middle of **nowhere**.

Needless to say, Destiny's excitement for the upcoming battle had disappeared approximately an hour and a half ago. Somewhere around the hour mark, she had started wishing that she'd stayed behind. A couple of minutes ago, she began to consider doing something stupid and dangerous just to break the monotony.

Luckily, Destiny's reckless thoughts were interrupted before she could act on them. With a squeal of tires, the silver-haired brothers brought their motorcycles to a shuddering stop.

"We're here," Sephiroth stated unnecessarily.

"It's about time!" Destiny declared as she hopped off Kadaj's bike. The others dismounted more slowly, all four of them keeping a wary eye out for trouble. This was a more run-down part of town than Destiny had seen before. There were very few people around, which was why Sephiroth had chosen this place to leave the bikes. Riding motorcycles at top speed into the middle of town would have been just the _tiniest_ bit conspicuous.

"So… what's the plan again?" Destiny asked conversationally as they started their short walk to the city's center. Kadaj's jaw tightened in annoyance, his impatience for the fight to begin making him short-tempered.

"_We_ are going to make a big enough commotion to draw our enemies out into the open. _You_ are going to stay out of our way," he snapped.

"Calm down," Sephiroth ordered tersely without looking away from his inspection of the surroundings. "You must stay focused."

"Besides, you don't have to worry about me getting in your way," Destiny added. "There will be plenty of places for me to hang out and watch without arousing suspicion. In all honesty, if anyone stands out, it would be all of you. Full body leather suits aren't actually all that discreet, you know." Right as she finished speaking, the group stepped out into the crowded heart of the city. A wave of noise broke over them and the silver-haired brothers were instantly all business.

A huge, metal monument stood proudly in the middle of the square. The gang slowly made their way toward it, eyes flicking every which way as they searched for threats and noted exits. After a couple of minutes, Sephiroth deemed their location acceptable and the other three started moving into position. It had begun.

"We will initiate the plan as soon as you have sufficiently hidden yourself," Sephiroth warned Destiny. She affirmed his words with a nod and turned to leave, calling 'good luck' over her shoulder as she went. Then, she plunged into the multitude of people and melted away from view.

Destiny drifted aimlessly for a minute or two before finding the perfect place to watch from. Mingling with the steady stream of people going to and from the parking garage, she soon found herself by the crowded elevators. Destiny made a quick decision to continue on, pretending that her car was on the ground floor. When she had almost reached her target, she stopped at the last car on her right and crouched down. To anyone watching, it would have looked like she was simply getting into her car. Continuing on in her crouched position, Destiny finally made it to the stairs without anyone seeing her. As she had predicted, they were empty.

It was a long way to the top, but Destiny relished the challenge. She hadn't felt much motivation to work out in the past week, and she didn't want to get out of shape. Five minutes later, a panting Destiny staggered out onto the roof. Her muscles were burning in protest to the hard climb, but a victorious smile was stretched across her face.

Heart beating furiously in her chest, Destiny made her way to edge of the building. Her smile widened as she realized exactly how perfect her position was. She could see everything from up here, but she wasn't so high up that it was inconvenient. On top of that, the roof and several of the floors below her were still empty, so she wasn't in danger of being discovered any time soon.

A quick glance downwards showed Sephiroth and the others all in position on opposite corners of the giant monument. The stage was set and, any second now, the curtain was going to open.

* * *

_Beloved Readers,_

_I AM WEAK-MINDED! I started a completely new fanfiction a couple of months ago after deciding that one of my other ones was a piece of crap. So I've been working on that a LOT recently. And then I finally went to do this one… and I had intended a really long exciting chapter… but I was lazy, and I ended up with a slightly boring filler. It had to happen. I'm so sorry. But now it shouldn't be too hard to get out the next chapter! The stage is set and ready to go… and it's summer! HUZZAH!_

_Fluffy'sMate17_

* * *

**HOPEFUL THANKS AND APOLOGIES TO…**

** - Asthetic**

** - Kairis**

** - Shining Apocalypse**

**(I believe it was your sugary treats that got me through this slightly boring chapter!)**

** - Ash Phoenix**

**(Forgive my lack of humorous dialogue in this chapter! There shall be more in the next chapter, I promise! Especially when Reno reappears… SPOILER!! D) **

** - Puppypower01**

** - OcGoddess**

** - Shibara1310**

**(Yay for awkward sexual references!)**

** - Ephona**

** - Angelofstrife2007**

** - (Yeah, Destiny's one lucky bitch, isn't she? If she weren't my own OC, I'd be jealous of her.)**

** - Shinorei**

** - Iana Silmir**

**(I suppose I could spare you Sephiroth for a little while. ;-) But make sure to give him back soon.)**

** - Pangpond**

** - Yazoo IS Superior**

** - Skavnema**

** - Xanzi**

** - Devil-Speaker**

…**FOR STICKING WITH ME. I LOVE YOU GUYS!**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8: More Than Gravity**_

_Disclaimer__: Despite the fact that it's been about 4 months since I last updated, I still have not managed to steal Final Fantasy, I'm afraid. =(_

_Recap__: The stage is set for the next battle between the silver-haired brothers and the ex-Soldiers. Who will be victorious?_

**

* * *

**

A shivering silence filled the clear air on the rooftop with anticipation. The midday sun was almost directly overhead, such that the giant obelisk looming in the center of the city square cast hardly a shadow upon the ground. A never-ending tide of pedestrians swirled sluggishly around the monument, yet no one seemed to notice the four strange men standing stock-still at each corner of the monument's base.

Despite the great distance between the skyscraper and the ground, Destiny's genetically enhanced eyesight had no trouble locating the faces that she had become so accustomed to over the past week. Her eyes lingered on one face in particular, but the expression it wore was so blank and lifeless that it made her heart ache. Her misgivings had no time to reassert themselves, however, because the brothers chose that very moment to make their move.

At some command that Destiny had missed, each brother raised his right arm high and stretched it towards the iron cenotaph – giving her the strange impression of something like a respectful salute. Silver flashed in the sunlight, and the connection clicked into place. Destiny barely had time to appreciate the perverse irony of her first impression before each brother deftly pulled the trigger of his shining silver gun.

An echoing report washed over the city. Destiny gave herself up to the noise, feeling her heart beat in time with each reverberation – as if the monument resided within her body instead of outside it.

After several interminable seconds, the original sound faded, but dim echoes continued to bounce back off the sides of nearby skyscrapers for several seconds more. A brief period of silence followed, during which Destiny noted with surprise that – despite its blatant protest against the attack – the obelisk had retained little visible damage.

That was when the screaming started. The once sluggish crowd had become a roiling mass of panic and confusion as everyone fled in different directions.

"Good," Destiny murmured to herself, pleasantly surprised with the way things were working out. If the crowd's panic lasted a couple of minutes more, then the brothers' call would have served not only bring out their enemies, but also to clear the area of pedestrians.

As if in response to her positive thoughts, a terrible, metallic scraping suddenly drowned out the screaming crowd. The monument had not escaped damage after all; a jagged piece of its outer covering was slowly pulling itself away from the rest. Below, the screaming intensified.

Cursing incoherently, Destiny scrutinized the movement of the crowd and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the people were giving the monument a wide berth. In the rapidly thinning population of the city square, Destiny's sharp eyes missed nothing. For example, at this very moment, she knew that the closest creature to the memorial was a small, dark-haired girl of about seven years. The child in question was weaving what seemed to be a wide and erratic circle around the obelisk for no apparent reason. However, seeing as the girl was on the opposite side of where the piece would soon fall, Destiny paid her little attention.

At that moment, an additional series of metallic gratings alerted Destiny to the fact that another piece of metal was coming loose from the cenotaph. She again checked the area below to assure herself that no pedestrian would be in danger when the piece fell.

Once she was confidant that no bystanders were in immediate danger, she relaxed and idly allowed her gaze to wander. Movement that did not conform to the rest of the crowd caught her eye, and she again found herself watching the dark-haired child from before. Apparently too confused and frightened to worry about her own safety, the girl was a bit too close to the crumbling memorial for Destiny's liking. At the moment, the child was making her way around one of the monument's corners and headed straight for…

Destiny's heart lurched. If the girl continued on her current path uninterrupted, she would be in danger from the second metal piece's inevitable fall!

There was no thought required. Her body was acting of its own accord as it backed away from the edge and tensed in preparation for the leap.

'_This is stupid!'_ Her logic raged. _'Stupid and reckless! You're afraid of heights! You'll die of massive impact trauma! You'll never see your family again!'_

But Destiny was nothing if not a creature of instinct. Her logic, she generally confined to the back of her mind. This time was no different. The only crack in her resolve came from her undying aversion to heights. The steel herself, she whispered savagely, "My mother would do it for me."

And then she threw herself off the skyscraper.

The running start helped, as did Destiny's well-trained leg muscles. Her flawless timing didn't hurt either. She reached the monument just as the first piece of metal separated itself from the rest with a resounding clang. Latching onto it with a vice-like grip, Destiny simultaneously summoned the white-hot inferno of her power by sheer force of will. Exhilaration and fear gave her the energy she needed to bend and increase the flow of wind in such a way that it was arching straight up underneath her and helping to support some of the combined weight of the metal sheet and her own body. Her fall slowed significantly, but the ground still rose to meet her disconcertingly fast. With a final, exceptionally fierce gust of wind, Destiny used the sturdy piece of metal beneath her to push off from – mostly neutralizing her fall so that her body had less of an impact to endure.

It still hurt.

She landed with her knees bent to absorb some of the impact, but that didn't completely stop the shockwave that rippled through her system with the force of her collision. Her muscles shut down for several seconds, causing Destiny to collapse limply on her knees: a self-defense mechanism to allow time for recovery. As soon as she was capable, Destiny pulled herself up and set off in a dead sprint around the obelisk in hopes of intercepting the child before it was too late.

As she swung haphazardly around a corner, a confused Yazoo called out to her, but she was moving to fast to catch what he said. A groan overhead told her she didn't have much time, but her target was in sight. Pouring on an extra burst of speed, Destiny reached the little girl just as she heard the resounding crack of the piece of metal separating from the monument. Scooping the child up without breaking stride, she set about getting out of there as fast as physically possible. Above them, Destiny's enhanced hearing allowed her to perceive the sound of air parting as gravity pulled the metal closer…

But what hope does gravity have against maternal instincts?

The girl slowed Destiny down a little, but her adrenaline more than made up the difference. By the time the chunk of metal connected with the ground, they were several yards away and still going strong. Small shards of iron and bits of broken concrete followed them stubbornly, but Destiny curved her body around the child and kept running. Debris rocketed off her back, occasionally inflicting minor wounds, but the girl wasn't touched once.

Finally, Destiny deemed it safe to stop running and catch her breath. As she did so, she got her first good look at the little girl in her arms, and her heart melted. The child was absolutely adorable. Her black hair was silky, and her large brown eyes were surprisingly deep and intelligent. Above all, there was a certain air of fragility about her that appealed irresistibly to Destiny's strong motherly instincts.

"Where do you live, honey?" She asked the little girl gently.

Distressed, the child answered, "I can't go home yet! I have to find Denzel!" Her voice, even when upset, was as pure and sweet as the rest of her.

"Is Denzel still in the square?"

"I don't know," the girl sighed. "We got separated."

"What does he look like?" Destiny inquired, resigned. It was a wild goose chase for all she knew, but what else could be done? The child had her well and truly wrapped around her little finger.

"He has curly brown hair," the little girl responded after thinking hard. "He's my height."

Destiny's piercing eyes were already scanning the area for a child fitting that description. Much to her surprise, it didn't take long for her to find a match. When she pointed out her find, the girl gave a heartwarming cry of joy at the sight of her companion. Taking that as a 'yes,' Destiny barged through the thin crowd and deftly pulled Denzel up into her arms.

"Where do you live?" She asked them both, all business.

"Our house is on that street," the little girl answered, pointing down one of the smaller and less crowded roads adjoined to the city square.

Destiny started briskly towards it, pointedly shouldering anyone in her way until people avoided her altogether. Her path took her close enough to Sephiroth to call sarcastically, "_That_ was well thought out. Any more brilliant ideas, _boss_?" He glared at her warningly but didn't respond. She rolled her eyes and continued on until they were at the mouth of the children's street. "Do you know your way from here?" She asked as she gently set them down. "Or do you want me to come with you?"

The little girl smiled up at Destiny and firmly grasped Denzel's hand. "We're okay now," she responded. "Thank you for saving me and helping me find Denzel."

Destiny felt an answering smile spread over her face. The kid was just too cute! "No problem, sweetie," she replied. "Try to stay out of trouble, you two."

"We will!" The girl cried over her shoulder as she and Denzel headed down the street hand-in-hand. Destiny watched them protectively for a few minutes more, making sure that they weren't in any danger. Raised voices from the city square caught her attention, and – with a start – she realized the fight must be starting. Not wanting to miss anything, she rushed back just as the silver-haired brothers' enemies started assembling.

The first to arrive were the red-haired guy and the bald guy. Only a few seconds later, the blond man Destiny recognized as Cloud came rushing out of the side street that the children had disappeared down. The girl in black leather followed close behind him. And then the rest of them poured in like a swiftly flowing river: the black man, the man with the stick, the girl with long boots, the red wolf… Destiny even spotted the gray cat calling out abuses at the silver haired brothers from a safe distance behind his friends. The man in the red cape was the last one to appear. One moment, he was just a red rag blowing aimlessly in the wind. The next, he was a solid figure dropping from the sky and flipping his cape behind his back casually. In spite of herself, Destiny had to admit that was extremely cool.

The city square fell dead silent as the two sides surveyed each other guardedly. Finally, Sephiroth broke the silence: "Hello again, Cloud." His mocking tone incited a snicker out of Loz.

"How many times do I have to kill you before you stay dead, Sephiroth?" Cloud answered, his voice heavy with resignation. Destiny took note of his attitude with surprise. It seemed to her that Cloud didn't enjoy this constant rivalry with his brothers – yet he would never stop fighting for what he believed in. An odd respect for this blond stranger bloomed within her unexpectedly.

Features hardening, Sephiroth responded coldly, "You won't get the chance again, I assure you." And then, sword flashing, he charged at Cloud.

Everyone leapt into action at once, letting loose battle cries as they chose an opponent attacked. The black guy and the bald guy went straight for Loz. Yazoo faced off with the redhead, the wolf, and the girl with extreme boots. Meanwhile, Kadaj was holding his own against black leather girl, red cape man, and the guy with the stick. Cloud and Sephiroth fought alone.

The battle was excruciatingly even. Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz were obviously better trained than their opponents, but the sheer multitude of their attackers made it difficult for them to gain any ground. Only Cloud matched the silver haired brothers' skill level, but he was using it to take on Sephiroth by himself. The fight dragged on longer: two minutes, then five, and then ten…

Finally, Loz was overwhelmed, and a well-aimed punch from the black guy sent him sprawling – out cold. With a cry of triumph, his opponents swept away to help the others battle Kadaj and Yazoo.

The dark-haired man in the ragged red cape, however, did not follow so quickly. He had switched targets from Kadaj to Loz in the middle of the fight for some reason, perhaps sensing Loz's weakness. Now, instead of rejoining the battle immediately, he turned a calculating eye on Destiny. With slow, measured steps, he began to approach her.

Straightening casually, Destiny pinned the man with her steady gaze and he stopped, only a few yards away. They watched each other for several long moments, guarded curiosity being their main emotion. When he seemed relatively sure that she wasn't going to attack him without provocation, the man in the red cape asked quietly, "Why aren't you fighting with the side you have chosen?" His voice was deep and hoarse – indisputably sexy, but with a strangely solemn air to it.

"I generally prefer to remain neutral until I have heard both sides of the story," Destiny replied.

"Then why did you bother coming here?"

She shrugged. "Honor, I guess. I like to make sure everyone's fighting fairly."

The man quirked an eyebrow at her. "And if they aren't?"

"Then I take matters into my own hands," she said simply, voice calm and self-assured.

"Even if the dishonorable side is your own?" He asked, eyes burning into hers. She held his gaze unfalteringly.

"Yes," Destiny answered. "Especially then. I don't like being wrong, you see. So when I am, I tend to take out my anger on those that I hold responsible for my mistake." She grinned at the man playfully, making sure to show off her gleaming white incisors in the process. "Not very mature, perhaps, but I'm only seventeen after all…"

"I see," he murmured, still watching her intently.

Annoyed by his lack of response to her display of power, Destiny exclaimed, "Look, if neither side hits below the belt or starts killing babies or something, then there's really no reason for me to interfere. If someone _does_ do something that is dishonorable, I'll be right there to teach him a lesson – regardless of whose 'side' he's on. I swear this on my honor: I will be completely unbiased in this battle." She cocked her head irritably. "Is that good enough for you?"

The man's eyes pierced into hers for several seconds longer, as if evaluating the truth of her promise. Finally, he graced her with half a nod, turned on his heel, and walked away.

Caught off-guard by his abrupt departure, Destiny instinctively called out, "Wait!" She immediately felt silly for it, because she didn't actually have anything more to say to him. The man stopped but did not turn back. "What's your name?" She asked hesitantly, wondering if he would even bother answering such a mundane question.

"…Vincent." And, leaving her with that, he darted back into the fight – more swiftly and gracefully than Destiny would have thought possible. Mystified, she watched him for several seconds more, mulling over their conversation in her mind. He had a talent for getting information out of her, that much was certain.

Shaking herself from her tangled thoughts, she took in the three separate fights and tried to figure out what she'd missed. Not too much seemed to have happened. Both Yazoo and Cloud were weakening now. It was really only a matter of who lasted longer. Another minute passed without significant change. Growing bored, Destiny felt her attention beginning to wander…

So, of course, that had to be the time when something interesting decided to happen.

While parrying a blow from Sephiroth, Cloud lost his footing in the rubble and went down hard on his back. Destiny snapped back to attention and held her breath, knowing that this was the critical moment. Would Cloud have the strength to get back up and keep fighting? Or would he be too slow to stop Sephiroth's deathblow?

Heart beating too fast, she watched anxiously as Sephiroth approached his fallen enemy. Cloud was struggling to get up, and Destiny realized with a start that she was rooting for him. A quick glance around showed that the other fights had stopped: everyone was watching to see what would happen. Sephiroth stopped by Cloud's side and a hard, triumphant smirk curved his lips upward. He raised his sword high, pointing it straight down towards Cloud's chest, and-

"No!"

Destiny stared in horror as the little girl that she had saved earlier ran out onto the battlefield and planted herself firmly in front of Cloud, despite his best efforts to prevent her from doing so.

"It's okay, Marlene," he tried to assure her. "I'll be fine. Go home."

The little girl wouldn't budge, regardless of the fact that Sephiroth hadn't lowered his weapon. Destiny watched the eldest brother like a hawk, trying to determine his intentions.

_He won't kill her, _she told herself desperately._ He wouldn't sink that low… would he?_

She realized with a shock that she truly didn't know the answer. Finally, after what seemed like an interminable pause, Sephiroth lowered his sword. Destiny went limp with relief. And then his hand shot out and grabbed the little girl by the neck.

Hissing with anger and surprise, Destiny unconsciously crouched down in preparation to spring at the aggressor as he lifted the struggling child into the air. A faint hope held her back, however – the hope that this was all just some terrible misunderstanding and that Sephiroth was only trying to get the child out of harm's way.

As if.

Both Cloud and the girl in black leather started for him automatically, but Sephiroth stopped them with a single sentence: "One more move and the girl dies." To prove his point, he tightened his grip on her neck and was rewarded by an answering cry of pain.

The child's cry echoed in Destiny's mind, driving away all logic and reason. All that remained was all that she needed – because underneath it all, Destiny truly was a creature of instinct.

A snarl shuddered through her body as, eyes red with bloodlust, she attacked.

* * *

Cloud and the others watched helplessly as Sephiroth tightened his fingers around Marlene's neck, and her piercing scream of pain stabbed into Cloud's heart like a knife. He had never felt more powerless.

A sudden, fearsome snarl cut through the silence that had fallen upon the city square. The next second, a dark shape leaped out of nowhere and slammed Sephiroth to the ground. Marlene started to fall with him, but the stranger's arms shot out and caught her before that could happen. Holding Marlene tightly, the figure backed away from Sephiroth, who was slowly picking himself up.

A shock ran through the group as they recognized the unexpected rescuer as the girl who had saved Kadaj's life only a week ago. There was something different about her, though. Her eyes were blood red, for one, and filled with murderous intentions as they glared at the suddenly careful Sephiroth. Her lips were drawn back from her gleaming teeth, warning him to keep back. For some reason, her incisors appeared to be longer and sharper than usual.

Several seconds passed, during which the only sounds that could be heard were Destiny's ragged pants as she struggled the get herself under control. And then, in a move that shocked most of the watchers, Marlene reached up hesitantly and rested her tiny hand on Destiny's cheek. Ruby eyes connected with warm brown and softened slightly.

"It's okay," Marlene reassured Destiny, in much the same way that Cloud had tried to reassure Marlene earlier. "I'm fine."

Impossibly gentle, Destiny lifted one hand and caressed Marlene's neck. She didn't speak, but her eyes asked the question that she needed to have answered.

"It doesn't hurt too bad," the little girl promised. A quiet sigh of relief escaped Destiny and her body lost some of its tension. Her eyes slid shut, and when she opened them again, they were back to their strange blue-amber mix.

* * *

Logic and reason returned slowly, still skittish after their panicked flight from before. Destiny's instincts struggled to retain control for a moment, then sank resignedly back into her subconscious. Blinking open her eyes, she was relieved to see that her sense of color was back to normal; during her bloodlust, everything had taken on a reddish tint.

Quiet footsteps caught Destiny's attention, and she noticed the girl in black leather approaching her cautiously. The child in her arms turned and smiled at the woman, and Destiny wordlessly held out her precious cargo. Black leather girl pulled the little girl into her arms protectively, softly murmuring her name over and over: "Marlene, Marlene, Marlene…"

The love in her voice was too much for Destiny. She turned instead to face Sephiroth; the loathing that she felt for him was far easier to comprehend. He was staring at her, of course – so was nearly everyone else, for that matter. But though he tried to keep his face carefully blank, Destiny could _smell_ his fear. It delighted and excited her to know that she could make such a powerful enemy afraid by her mere presence. She simply couldn't resist goading him a little.

Drawing in a deep breath, Destiny let her nostrils flare delicately as she tried to memorize the satisfying scent of his apprehension. "You stink of fear, Sephiroth," she purred, keeping her eyes trained on his. "What exactly are you afraid of?" She slipped to the left suddenly, starting to circle her prey like a wildcat. The spicy aroma of his fear increased sharply as he turned to keep her in his line of sight, but no sign of stress showed on his face. "Justice, perhaps?" She feinted left abruptly, then sprang right and punched the blade out of his hand. It fell several yards away and skidded to a stop. Destiny planted herself firmly between him and the sword.

"Do you want to tell me why you did it, Sephiroth?" She asked, no longer playful. "What madness will you claim took hold of you when you threatened the life of an innocent child?"

Sephiroth drew himself up to his full height, trying desperately to regain a semblance of control over the situation. "You overstep your boundaries, Destiny," he began coldly. "You have no authority to be questioning my decisions-"

"Boundaries!" She hissed derisively. "You hold no power over _me_, Sephiroth. Never forget that."

Sensing his elder brother's fury, Kadaj felt an unexpected pang of anxiety for Destiny's safety. Deciding – perhaps unwisely – to play the peacemaker, he carefully stepped forward with his hands up in a soothing gesture. "Calm down, Destiny," he said gently. "You're overreacting."

Eyes wide with disbelief, the infuriated female turned on Kadaj. "Are you _defending_ him?" She cried incredulously. "You don't think there's anything _wrong_ with using innocent children to make your own means? Is that it?"

"Be reasonable-"

"Kadaj," she cut him off, fear temporarily dousing her passionate rage. "Answer the question. Would you use children against their parents simply to get what _you_ want?" His silence was loud enough for Destiny to hear the answer, and his guilty eyes only added to the story. Sick at heart, she whispered faintly, "But you already have, haven't you?"

Kadaj opened his mouth to deny it, but no words came out. Destiny shut her eyes for a moment and then opened them again, trying painfully to pull herself back together. An icy tear slipped down her cheek, and she let it fall.

"Do you regret it?" She asked hopelessly. Again, his eyes told her everything she needed to know. "Didn't think so," she murmured. "Remorse is the first step down the path to change, after all…" A humorless chuckle escaped her. "But you don't want to change, do you, Kadaj?"

He had no answer for her. And she had nothing more to say to him. Nothing but one last piece of business, anyway.

Hardening her heart, Destiny met Kadaj's gaze one last time. His eyes searched hers worriedly, trying to figure out what was going on inside her head. Gritting her teeth and feeling her soul ache with protest against the words, Destiny proclaimed agonizingly, "Then I disband my alliance with you, Kadaj. Your cause is no longer mine."

The silver haired brothers stiffened; apparently none of them had thought of this move as an option. Panicked, Kadaj's eyes flicked to Sephiroth in a silent plea for help in handling the situation. Destiny's eyes narrowed in response.

"You can't look to Sephiroth for advice this time, Kadaj," she told him pointedly. "It was to _you_ that I gave my allegiance, not him. And it is from you that I now remove it."

"But you promised to help us find the rest of Mother's cells!" Kadaj remembered suddenly. "Would you be so _dishonorable_ as to break that promise?"

Destiny's voice took on a mocking edge. "Haven't you figured it out yet, Kadaj?" Her icy orbs fell upon the eldest of the silver haired brothers. "I've already fulfilled my oath. Isn't that right, Sephiroth?"

"What do you mean?" Kadaj asked, his eyebrows furrowing with confusion.

"It means," Sephiroth cut in unexpectedly, "that Destiny is more intelligent than I originally gave her credit for. I won't make that mistake again."

The girl in question laughed disdainfully. "Sure you won't." Returning her eyes to the youngest brother, Destiny explained, "Kadaj, there _are_ no more of your mother's cells left. All of them went into making that waste of space over there." She jerked her thumb towards Sephiroth.

"Is it true, brother?" Kadaj whispered.

Sephiroth bowed his head, a strange solemnity overtaking him that Destiny found both unnerving and untrustworthy. "It is true, Kadaj. We are the final remnants of Mother's legacy."

"Then we are agreed," Destiny stated bluntly. "I promised to find your mother, and I led you straight to Sephiroth. He is all the remains of your mother's cells. Therefore…"

"I understand," Kadaj said heavily. "Your promise has been met. You… are no longer tied to us in any way."

Destiny's heart throbbed at his words, but she forced herself to nod coldly. There were several long beats of silence as the reformed sides stared at each other – just like they had at the beginning of the fight. It was hard to believe that the fighting had only started an hour ago. To her, it felt like it had been a lifetime.

"So what now?" Cloud asked, pulling her from her heavy thoughts. She flicked her eyes to him, wondering vaguely who he was talking to. With a faint thrill of surprise, Destiny realized that everyone was waiting for her to call the shots – even the silver haired brothers.

Trying to summon up the energy to be commanding, she straightened herself with an effort. "Go home," she told Kadaj simply. (Even in her own mind, she refused to acknowledge Sephiroth as the leader.) "The fighting is over for today. Too much has changed. Go home, and recoup. But know this: the next time you challenge Cloud and his friends, I will be here to help them." The outspoken redhead let out a surprised and triumphant laugh, and Destiny revised pointedly, "Assuming, of course, that they fight more honorably than you do."

Kadaj looked at Sephiroth, who answered frigidly, "We will go. But you have chosen the losing side, Destiny. Be prepared to accept the consequences." Without another word to her, the eldest brother turned on his heel and strode away, calling out an order to Kadaj and Yazoo to help get Loz back to the motorcycles.

"Sephiroth!" Destiny called meaningfully. He turned back to her with an irritated air. She held up his sword and raised an eyebrow. "Forgetting something?" Some of her new 'teammates' chuckled appreciatively, and she silently tossed him his sword. He caught it unerringly, sheathed it, and continued on his way.

Destiny felt a faint indignation rise up within her at his lack of gratitude, but she was too tired to act on it. She settled instead for watching all that she had known and been certain of in this new and strange dimension retreat from her slowly – leaving her behind. When she was unable to bear it anymore, she turned her face away and focused her attention on Marlene. It was for her that this must happen, and – painful as it was – she refused to regret it.

* * *

Kadaj sped numbly along behind Sephiroth, his mind sluggishly replaying the afternoon over and over. But no matter how many times he saw it, he came straight back to the same conclusion, and his heart would ache with a fresh wave of hurt.

She was gone. She had left him, and she wasn't coming back.

**

* * *

**

_Beloved Readers,_

_To make up for the extra long wait, I grant you this extra long chapter! I hope you enjoyed it!  
_

_Fluffy'sMate17_

**

* * *

  
**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9: Aching, Adjusting**_

_**Disclaimer: Why do I bother with it anymore? Really?**_

_Recap: Destiny discovered the truth about the silver haired brothers, and therefore disbanded her alliance with them and sent them away._

* * *

'_What just happened?'_ Kadaj wondered for the fiftieth time. '_She couldn't really have left. There has to be some mistake.'_

But every time he glanced over his shoulder, seeking her slim form clinging to his own or Yazoo's back, the familiar rush of disappointment filled his stomach. The leather on his back felt cold and foreign without her warm figure pressed against it. He tried to shake himself out of his strange dejection by remembering how annoying she had been, with her pointless chatter and steady stream of complaints, but he couldn't quite summon the irritation when she wasn't there.

He found himself recalling strange things about her; like how she would curl a piece of her hair around her finger whenever she was thinking hard. And what she had looked like when she had laughed at his unintentional joke in the elevator. And how her eyes sparkled whenever she was teasing him or one of his brothers…

But not Sephiroth. There was something about Sephiroth that she didn't like, and Kadaj couldn't understand it. But he had noticed that whenever she was in his presence, her face would harden and her sentences would become terse.

And then another memory would pop into his head: the memory of her eyes when she discovered that he was more like Sephiroth than she had thought. When she figured out on her own that he had used children against their parents to get his way – an unforgivable dishonor in her eyes. How the wild light of panic had flared in disbelief and protest, before sputtering out into black despair as she realized that it was true…

Kadaj's chest ached at the memory, and he rubbed it absently. When had he become so attached to her? She was _nothing_ – just an exasperating, gullible, homesick girl, who happened to have magical powers and a beautiful smile.

Lost in his own traitorous thoughts, Kadaj failed to notice Sephiroth's unreadable gaze upon him…

* * *

They were watching. Destiny could feel their eyes burning into her; calculating, waiting. What more did they want from her? She was on their side now. She had given up everything to do what was right. Wasn't that enough? With a heavy sigh, she forcibly detached herself from her self-pity and straightened her sagging form. _'I made the right choice. Get it together, Destiny.'_

Blue eyes opened reluctantly and flicked around, seeking out one person in particular. Marlene smiled when their eyes connected, causing Destiny's gaze to soften. Worming her way out of black leather girl's hold, the child raced over and Destiny instinctively dropped to her knees and opened her arms. Marlene jumped into the hug, and the day suddenly seemed a tiny bit brighter.

"You're one of us now!" The little girl exclaimed, and the arms around her stiffened a bit. Destiny looked up and caught Cloud's eye questioningly. He understood.

"Marlene," the blond man said quietly, stepping forward to touch the child's shoulder. "Why don't you go back to the house with Tifa? Destiny and I… need to talk."

The child nodded halfheartedly and pulled away from the older girl's embrace. Destiny's arms fell limply to her sides, unresisting. Tifa (who turned out to be 'black leather girl') took Marlene's hand gently and led her away. Almost as an afterthought, Destiny pushed herself back to her feet and faced the remaining group. A faint thrill of pride lent her some energy as she saw the wariness in several of their gazes… In their eyes, someone who could inspire fear in Sephiroth was definitely one to watch out for.

Finally, Destiny broke the silence. "You fought well," she told Cloud honestly. "If you hadn't lost your footing… the fight might have had a very different outcome." The man dipped his head in acknowledgement of her praise, and Destiny clenched her jaw in preparation for what was coming. Her fragile pride would soon be in tatters again… but this had to be said. Speaking very clearly (so that she wouldn't have to say it again), Destiny stated, "I apologize. I jumped to the wrong conclusions that first day, and I allowed my emotions to cloud my judgment. What I said was rude and uncalled for. If… if you will take me… I _can_ fix my mistake."

"And what was that?" Cloud asked mildly.

"Sephiroth," Destiny answered, spitting the name out with distaste. "He was definitely a mistake. And I think I know just how to fix it." A cold smile curved her lips upward. "In fact, nothing would make me happier."

"Speaking of Sephiroth," the black man rumbled. "How the hell did you manage to bring him back to life?"

Eyes wide with outrage, Destiny defended herself, "Hey, you can't pin _that_ on me! All I did was find him in the lab!" This new piece of information led to a general outcry of questions and protests:

"What lab?"

"How can we trust her?"

"What idiot would make another Sephiroth?"

Rubbing her temples in an effort to alleviate her sudden headache, Destiny sighed, "Look, I'm sorry. All I have is a name. Maybe it'll mean something to you: Shinra."

Everyone went quiet. "Are you sure?" Cloud asked urgently, and Destiny nodded affirmative. He then turned to the redhead and the bald guy, both of whom were looking distinctly uncomfortable. "You knew about this?"

"Well… he wasn't supposed to get out," the redhead answered awkwardly. "And he wouldn't have, but… nobody counted on _her_ to help break him out. We've been trying to track him down for a week now, but-"

"You're sayin' another Sephiroth's been on the loose for a week, and nobody bothered tellin' us about it?" The black man sounded positively dangerous, and Destiny smirked at the suddenly cautious look on the redhead's face.

"It doesn't matter," Vincent interrupted gruffly. "What's done is done. The important thing now is to prepare for their next attack. You can count on it coming, and soon."

"I'd say we have a few days, at least," Destiny put in. "Sephiroth will want to re-strategize now that I'm on your side." In fact, thinking back, the entire past week of preparation and planning had all been for this one fight. Unable to stop it, Destiny let out a triumphant peal of laughter. The others stared at her with alarm, and she explained happily, "Sephiroth must be so pissed at me right now! He was planning for this fight all week long, and I screwed it up! Man, that's a good feeling!"

While the others tried to figure out how to respond to this, Destiny stretched contentedly and then let out a faint curse. Running a gentle hand over her back, she could feel numerous shallow scrapes from where the flying debris had caught her. She pulled her fingers away and sighed at the sight of her own blood. Cleaning those cuts was going to be annoying; they were in a most inconvenient place.

"You okay?" Cloud asked, almost kindly.

Destiny blinked and answered dispassionately, "Yep." No need to elaborate. "So, what now? Are you guys the 'let's relax and recover until they show up again' type, or do you go for the whole 'we need to start planning ASAP' thing?"

Cloud hesitated, apparently unsure of how best to answer for the entire group, and then replied, "I think it would be a good idea to recover right now, and tomorrow we can think about strategy."

"Okay," she agreed. "How can I find you?"

A puzzled look crossed Cloud's face. "Where will you be?"

"Who knows?" Destiny responded with a shrug. "I'll find some place to stay… They gave me _some_ money, at least."

Cloud glanced around at his friends and offered hesitantly, "We're all going to be spending the night at Tifa's place… if you want to…?"

Destiny blinked, surprised by his show of faith in inviting her to stay with them. "Thank you, but I couldn't intrude like that. It would just be too… awkward. I mean, none of us really know each other, and what we do know hasn't been the most _friendly_ of associations…"

Cloud didn't deny it or try to force her into anything. "What's your cell phone number?"

"Um… I don't have one." Almost everyone looked shocked at this confession, except for Vincent, whose expression never seemed to change. "Look, why don't you just show me where you live and give me a time to show up tomorrow? That's probably the easiest way to do this."

Cloud nodded slowly, and then glanced around at his friends. "Let's go."

"I don't know if that invitation was extended to us," the redhead smirked, "but we've gotta report back to our boss about Sephiroth showing up. Guess we'll see you guys around. Welcome to the team, blondie," he added to Destiny with a wink before sauntering away, accompanied by the bald guy.

"Did that guy _really_ just call me _blondie_?" Destiny muttered under her breath. "If I weren't so tired of all this fighting, I'd kick his ass."

The black man let out a great, booming laugh and clapped a large hand on her shoulder. "If that weren't the case, honey, we all would!"

Destiny flinched the tiniest bit as his hand hit one of her scrapes, but she played it off by gracing him with a bright smile. The group started moving with Cloud in the lead, but the black man stayed by her side dutifully. Touched by this gesture of camaraderie, Destiny felt it safe to ask, "So, what's your name?"

"Just call me Barret. We're not formal around here."

"Nice to meet you, Barret. I'm… well, you probably already know, but I'm Destiny."

"Good to have you on the team, Destiny." Barret sounded so genuine that she felt a small blush of pleasure rise to her cheeks. She hadn't felt truly wanted it… too long.

Only a minute or two later, the group had already arrived at their destination. The sign outside the building was split into two parts: _Seventh Heaven_ and _Strife Delivery Service_. It looked much like any of the other buildings nearby, but Destiny felt sure that she could find it again. Navigation was just one of her many inborn traits, thanks to her demon father.

"I guess this is where I leave you guys," she commented. "What time do you want me to come back?"

"Does noon work for you?" Cloud suggested hesitantly, and Destiny rolled her eyes.

"What else do I have to do? In case you haven't noticed, I really don't have too many options here."

Cloud looked uncomfortable and asked again, "Are you sure you'll be okay? It's a big city… easy to get lost… especially if it's your first time here…"

Destiny smiled tightly; her back was started to itch with the need to wash out her cuts. "I'll manage, but thanks again for the concern. I'll see you tomorrow." She turned to go awkwardly, but a child's voice stopped her.

"Destiny!" Marlene was racing out of the store towards her, smiling widely. However, something caused her to suddenly stop short and stare at the older girl in horror. "Destiny, your back is bleeding! Are you okay?"

Destiny frowned at the distress in the child's voice and answered reassuringly, "Of course, sweetie, it just a few scratches. Nothing serious."

Marlene nodded gravely and then grabbed Destiny's hand, tugging her back to the shop. "Come on, I'll help you clean them! I took care of Denzel when he had Geostigma, and Tifa showed me how to clean cuts when I fell and skinned my knee!"

Destiny cast a helpless glance at Cloud, who obliged her by stepping in. "Marlene, Destiny needs to get going. But she'll see you tomorrow, alright?"

"But she needs help with her back!" The little girl protested.

Destiny started to interject something about her being perfectly fine, but – much to everyone's surprise – Vincent put in gruffly, "She's right." Destiny looked at him questioningly, and he continued, "You still have pieces of iron in your back. You'd only do more damage by trying to get them out yourself."

"It's not a problem, really!" Destiny insisted. "It's gonna be a pain in the ass to clean them, but whatever. Been there, done that."

Vincent shook his head. "You're the greatest asset we have right now. We can't risk you getting an infection and being too sick to fight when we need you. Assuming that you actually meant what you said about fighting with us."

That last bit was a blatant challenge, and Destiny's eyes widened with indignation. "Are you suggesting that I would go against my word? Of course I meant it!"

"Then prove it," he responded. "Stay and fight with us."

"Fine!" She cried, exasperated. "If you want me to stay that much, then _fine_! Geez, you people make such a big deal out of a few scrapes…" Sulking, she crossed her arms over her chest and continued grumbling to herself quietly. At that moment, she looked so much like a petulant child that Barret and Cid had to stifle laughter.

Marlene, on the other hand, beamed happily and resumed her tugging on Destiny's hand. "Let's find Tifa so she can help with your back!"

The older girl sighed and allowed herself to be dragged into _Seventh Heaven_.

* * *

Destiny hated to admit it, but she _did_ feel better after the iron had been carefully removed from her back and she had been sufficiently patched up. Tifa had surprised her by being much gentler than expected, and Marlene obviously adored her. The relationship between Tifa and Marlene confused Destiny greatly; Tifa was clearly playing the mother role, but Destiny couldn't figure out if they were related or not. Tifa seemed a little too young to be a mom, for one thing, but the age difference between them was too great for them to be sisters…

After they were gone, Destiny mulled the day over in the hot water for a long time. As much as she hated to acknowledge it, she really wasn't sure how to act around the others now that they were on the same side. So, she kept putting it off until the water had become uncomfortably cool before finally taking the initiative and getting out of the tub.

Tifa was kind enough to lend Destiny one of her nightgowns – a cute white one that made Destiny want to twirl around in circles just to see the skirt fan out. At home, her pajamas generally consisted of an oversize T-shirt and shorts, so this was a pretty big change. When she was done dressing, Tifa returned to tell her, "There's food downstairs, if you're hungry."

And that was when Destiny did something she wasn't very proud of. She really didn't want to face the others… so she took the coward's way out. "I'm not that hungry," she lied, and her stomach ached with protest. "I'm really tired, though. Is there someplace I can sleep?"

Tifa nodded and led her to a tiny, undecorated spare room – it wasn't much, but it was better than Destiny had expected. "I'll make sure there are leftovers in the fridge in case you get hungry," the black haired woman said quietly. "Sleep well."

"Thank you," Destiny replied earnestly, and Tifa gave her a small smile before departing. Sighing, Destiny settled down onto the thin mattress; it felt strange to go to bed in a dress. Her stomach growled faintly and she glanced at the clock. Was it really only 5:47? Damn.

'_Okay… I'll wait for a few hours… and when they're all in bed, I'll sneak down to the kitchen for a snack. I hope Tifa doesn't forget about the leftovers…'_

* * *

Destiny blinked open her eyes and saw the digital clock staring back at her: 11:00 pm. Sitting up with a faint groan (her back was sore), she muttered aloud, "Did I really fall asleep?" Apparently she had. Ah, well – at least she could sneak into the kitchen without being caught!

Destiny slipped out into the hallway, her bare feet noiseless on the wooden floor. The hallway was dark, but there was a faint light coming from somewhere that helped her see well enough not to trip. At the top of the stairs, Destiny discovered where the light was coming from: there was a light on in the room at the bottom of the stairs. The door was shut, but the yellow glow coming from beneath the door was enough. Curious, she padded down the stairs and stopped on the bottom step, listening.

"So we're going to trust her just like that?" A hushed, irritated female voice asked from inside the room.

Cloud's voice, mild and sensible as usual, replied, "She hasn't done anything untrustworthy so far."

"You think that helping Kadaj's gang free another Sephiroth isn't untrustworthy?" The girl responded in disbelief.

"She apologized for that."

"Why are you defending her, Cloud?" The female voice was exasperated. "I know that you like to see the good in people, but _think_ about it! She chose them over us the first time! How do you know she won't choose them again, if it comes to it?"

"Yuffie's right," a male voice agreed. "We really don't know anything about her. What if that whole break-up scene was staged?"

"I don't believe that." Destiny recognized this voice as Tifa's. "I think she genuinely cares for Marlene. I've seen the way they interact. And Marlene says that she saved her from one of the pieces of metal that fell off the monument. That's how her back must have gotten hurt."

"So she has a soft spot for kids," the male voice from before conceded. "That doesn't mean she won't turn on _us_ later."

There was a pause, and then Cloud observed, "You've been quiet so far, Vincent. What do you think?"

"Yeah, Vincent," Yuffie put in. "You're the one who insisted she stay here."

In that husky voice of his, Vincent responded, "She appears to be driven more by honor than loyalty. Better to have her here, under our wing, than let her wander about the city."

"Keeping the enemy close?" The male voice clarified, and Destiny bristled slightly.

Another pause. "I wouldn't automatically assume that she's an enemy," Vincent said finally. "Her distaste for Sephiroth seems real enough to me… I think we all can relate to that." Murmurs of assent. "Still, she is not bound to us in any way, and she undoubtedly holds her own agenda. If she wants it, she must earn our trust with her actions and not her tongue."

Destiny didn't need to hear any more. It hurt to know that they thought her motives weren't pure, but she knew that they had a right to be cautious. Slipping off the steps as silently as possible, she carefully made her way into the kitchen and pulled open the fridge. Tifa had been true to her word: there were two leftover slices of pizza waiting for her. Destiny grabbed the food and shut the fridge door quickly. Not bothering to heat it first, she scarfed down one of the slices in a few colossal bites. Once she had taken the edge off her hunger, Destiny decided she wanted some fresh air. The bar smelled, understandably, of old smoke and sweat. She'd been too hungry to notice at first, but it was starting to bother her now.

Snatching a soda from the counter (that meant it was up for grabs, right?), Destiny made her way to the door. She knew full well that if the others caught her, they would probably assume that she was sneaking off to do something shady or underhanded. Still, she'd just slept for five hours, so she really wasn't in the mood to go back up to her room.

Destiny unlocked the door, which made a barely audible clicking sound, and stepped out into the cool night air. Closing the door softly, she leaned against the side of the building and leisurely enjoyed her second piece of pizza. A gentle breeze tugged at the hem of her nightdress and played with her hair… The city was surprisingly peaceful at night.

Sipping her soda, Destiny examined the street more carefully. Aside from an elderly homeless man and two drunken young men stumbling their way home… she was alone. It was a nice feeling.

"Hey, man, lookit the homeless guy!" The slurring voice of one of the intoxicated boys immediately chased away Destiny's fragile optimism.

"Yeah," the other boy slurred back. "Hey, homeless guy!" They both started roaring with drunken laughter.

"Hey, man… hey, man, let's… see what the old man's got."

"Yeah!"

The two boys stumbled closer to the homeless man, who shrank away from them but made no move to run. He was probably too old to move very fast, even with the advantage of having his attackers being almost too drunk to stand. Destiny saw it all, disbelieving and outraged. Unconsciously, her fingers tightened around the soda can and the thin aluminum crumpled a bit. They weren't really going to mug an old, poverty-stricken man, were they?

"Show us the goods, homeless guy," one of the boys hiccupped.

Destiny decided that enough was enough. Pushing herself off the wall, she strode over quickly and tried to look intimidating. "Hey!" The boys looked around, confused as to where the voice was coming from. Ever the helpful one, Destiny chucked her half-empty soda at one of their heads. It hit him in the shoulder, and he let out a yelp of more surprise than pain. They turned.

"Look, man, 's a chick!" They ogled her like they'd never seen a girl before, and Destiny suddenly remembered that she was only wearing a thin white dress. Shit. She'd just have to make up for it by being extra violent.

"Where I come from, little boys who fail to respect their elders get beaten," Destiny hissed icily.

They weren't listening. "She's wearin' a dress!"

"Dumbass, that's not a _dress_, 's _lingerie_."

"Oh… hey man, let's invite her over."

"Hey, babe, wanna come to our place? We got beer… it'll be a nice time."

Destiny wrinkled her nose, disgusted. "The _last_ thing you need right now is more alcohol. Besides, I really don't find robbing homeless people at all sexy."

"C'mon, girl, don' be like that…"

"I'm going to give you both one last chance to walk away," she said interrupted coldly. "I promise that you'll regret it if you don't… and I don't break promises."

"Are you gonn' walk away _with_ us?" The first one waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Not even if I were as inebriated as you are," Destiny replied without hesitation. "Final warning. If I'm not looking at your retreating backs in ten seconds…"

The second one snorted derisively. "You'll what?"

"Eight… seven…"

"You'll _what_, girlie?"

"Five… four…"

"She can't do _nothin'_."

"Two…"

"Whatever, man, let's just go."

"I'm afraid it's a little too late for that. Decide faster next time." Without another word to either of them, Destiny slammed her elbow into the first boy's nose. There was a satisfying crunch as the bone splintered, and blood started gushing from it a second later. The boy staggered back.

Destiny turned to the other boy, who was watching dumbly. _'It's no fun beating up drunk people,'_ she decided. _'They're too out of it to feel pain or fear… so what's the point?'_

She sent the second boy flying into the wall with a powerful stepping sidekick. The other one was coming back at her now; his nose was still bleeding severely, but he was apparently too enraged to feel it. Destiny sidestepped his drunken punch neatly, causing him to stagger even more off-balance. _'This is way too easy.'_ She stuck a foot out, effectively tripping him. He fell heavily onto his back, which knocked the wind out of him. After struggling for a few moments to get back up, he gave up and just lay there, panting.

It was the most pathetic thing that she had ever seen.

A sudden yell behind her reminded Destiny of the second boy. Turning back around to deal with him, she found herself face-to-face with red fabric and belt buckles. "What the…?" She jerked back, caught completely off-guard. When she had backed up a few steps, however, she quickly recognized her companion.

"Vincent? Holy crap, you just gave me a heart attack!" He shrugged, uncaring, and Destiny looked around. "What happened to the other one?" Vincent nodded down the road, and she saw the boy's bulky figure stumbling away, too drunk to run straight.

"Your doing?" She asked, and he nodded. Keeping up a conversation was definitely _not_ one of his talents. "Well… thanks."

A faint scrabbling sound returned Destiny's attention to the first boy, who had pushed himself to his feet and was ambling away as quickly as he could. She chuckled at the sight he made, zigzagging his way down the street and nursing his broken nose. There was a dark shape on the sidewalk before her; in his haste to get away, the boy had dropped his wallet.

"Ah, karma," Destiny muttered, picking it up. Grabbing out all of the strange currency – _gil_, hadn't Kadaj called it? – she placed it in the homeless man's hand. "I wish you good fortune, father," she told him respectfully.

"Th-thank you," the elderly man stammered back, voice raspy with age and smoking damage. Destiny accepted his thanks with a nod and, after disposing of the wallet in a nearby dumpster, started back towards _Seventh Heaven_. Vincent walked with her, silent and mysterious as ever.

"So… what brings you out tonight?" Destiny asked curiously.

His response was completely disconnected from her question: "I know you were listening."

She stiffened the tiniest bit, but answered defiantly, "It's not like I heard anything I didn't already know. You guys don't trust me yet. That's okay; you'd be fools to do so too quickly." Vincent said nothing, and she hesitantly asked, "Do the others know?"

"…No."

Destiny blinked in surprise. "You didn't tell them? How come?"

"I felt that some of the others might take it the wrong way. Most people do consider eavesdropping to be dishonorable."

"I didn't plan it that way!" She snapped back, insulted. "I just wanted to know who would be up so late, but then I heard you guys talking about me, and… well, if it's dishonorable to eavesdrop, then it's just as bad to trash someone behind their back!"

Vincent didn't even blink at her show of temper. "That's why I didn't tell them."

"Oh. Okay." Destiny deflated a bit, feeling slightly silly. "Well… thanks again, then."

No answer. What a surprise.

They had reached the bar by now and were dawdling awkwardly outside the door. That little battle with the drunken boys had woken up Destiny's fighting spirit, so going back to bed wasn't really an appealing notion for her. Vincent didn't seem at all inclined to go back in either… but she really didn't think that he'd care either way.

"If you don't mind my asking," she said tentatively. "What brought _you_ into this? I mean… what did Sephiroth do to you?"

If she didn't know better, Destiny would have thought that Vincent looked almost… forlorn. Whatever it was, it must have been bad. _Really_ _bad_. Because that was the first emotion that she had seen on his face since the very first time she had laid eyes on him.

"Sleep," he advised finally. "You must regain your strength if you're going to be of any use." And then he was gone, and a ragged red cape was blowing away in the wind.

Destiny silently returned to her room.

* * *

The next morning, Destiny woke with a new lease on life. Over the night, her anger had slowly won out over her depression. She was raring for a go at Sephiroth… but since that probably wasn't going to happen so early in the morning, she allowed herself to be drawn downstairs by the irresistible scent of baking pancakes.

Only once she had arrived in the kitchen did Destiny remember that she wasn't the most popular person at the moment. Everyone stopped talking the moment she appeared, and there were a few moments of awkward silence. Marlene and Denzel weren't up yet, which meant that it was just Destiny and the rest of the grownups.

She cleared her throat self-consciously. "That smells great, Tifa."

The black-haired woman blinked and murmured, "Thank you. They'll be ready in a few minutes."

"Is there… um… anything I can do to help?" Destiny wasn't used to being so nice; this was going to take getting used to.

"No, it's fine."

'_So much for that…'_ With a sigh, she braced herself and made her way over to the cluster of tables where the others were currently grouped. "Good morning." Cloud nodded and Barret gave her a comforting smile, which Destiny took as an invitation to sit down. The blond man that she didn't know glanced at her, and she caught his eye and smiled. "I don't think I caught your name…?" She asked politely.

"It's Cid; Cid Highwind," he replied easily. He was the only one to give her a full name so far. Was that considered progress?

Destiny dipped her head in acceptance and then looked at the girl with long boots. "Um, I don't think I caught yours either...?" Thanks to her little eavesdropping session the previous night, Destiny already knew that the girl's name was Yuffie… but if Vincent had kept it quiet like he said he would, then she wasn't _supposed_ to know her name yet.

"Yuffie."

"Nice to meet you." Apparently Yuffie didn't feel the same way; she did not respond to Destiny's sentiments.

As Destiny cast around for some sort of conversation-starter, her eyes fell upon the huge red wolf she had noticed earlier. Upon closer inspection, she realized that he was actually closer to the cat family – a lion, perhaps? She had never met a lion demon before, but she had heard stories about their dignity and honor as well as their ferocity in battle.

The red lion noticed her gaze upon him and stared right back. Her breath caught in her throat; his eyes were the same burning amber as that of her father. Swallowing her sudden homesickness, she asked, "Are you a lion demon?"

He blinked his wonderful eyes at her and answered in a hoarse, breathy voice, "No."

"Oh," Destiny blushed. "I'm sorry. What… _are_ you?"

The red creature shook out his noble head and chuckled. "It's not _what_ I am that defines me, but _who_ I am. Most call me Red." Destiny's fingers twitched as she watched him shake his red mane, and her eyes were distant.

"Please," she whispered, inching forward. "May I touch your fur?"

Cid burst into laughter, "The ladies just can't resist you, can they, Red?"

Destiny was too lost in her own thoughts to register Cid's teasing, but her desperate eyes never left Red's golden ones. He sighed and nodded. She was beside him in an instant, her fingers running eagerly through the thick red fur. His pelt wasn't nearly as fine as her father's, but it was enough… Red even possessed that familiar dog-scent that her father always smelled of.

"So similar," she whispered, blinking away the hotness behind her eyes. She was _not_ going to cry, damn it. His burning gaze turned once again to her, and she unwillingly spilled, "You remind me so much of my father."

There was a bewildered pause, and then Cid started laughing even harder than before. "What, did daddy get that wet dog smell whenever it rained too?"

Destiny glared at him, fingers clenching into Red's mane. "My father was a dog demon." _That_ shut him up. Nobody quite knew what to say, so they all settled for gaping at her as if she'd sprouted a tail. "I take more after my mother," she continued. "But certain traits were passed on from my father as well…" As if to prove it, Destiny bared her teeth and a feral growl shook her body, causing the fur on Red's neck to bristle.

"So…" Cloud said after a moment. "When you were saving Marlene from Sephiroth yesterday… what happened then was your demonic traits coming out?"

"Yes," Destiny admitted, somewhat embarrassed. "That was called bloodlust… it only happens when something makes me lose control of my demon blood. In that case, the threatening of a child…" She growled again. "The very thought of it makes me angry!" The others nodded glumly, agreeing with her.

"Pancakes are ready!" Tifa called suddenly, lightening the mood. "Come and get 'em!"

There was a mad scramble as Cid and Barret ran to get the first pancakes. Cloud and Yuffie followed more slowly. When everyone who wanted some had taken their share of pancakes, Destiny quietly took a plate and selected two of the remaining ones. Before she had made it back to her seat, the bell on the door chimed loudly as two familiar men sauntered in.

"Aw, didn't you guys save us any?" The redhead from yesterday asked with a grin. "What a shame."

Cloud sighed. "What do you want now, Reno?"

"Hey, man, it's not what I want that counts. I'm not on top. Our boss wants to speak to you about the Sephiroth thing… _all_ of you." His gaze swept over the entire group – including Destiny – so she assumed that he meant her too. She gulped at the thought of having to face the man whose lab she had broken into only a week ago… _busted_.

Cloud's voice was weary as he asked, "When?"

"As soon as possible."

"…Fine."

At some unspoken signal, everyone quickly finished eating and started back to their rooms to get ready. Destiny glanced down at the nightgown she was still wearing. If necessary, she supposed that it could pass for a sundress… but it _was_ a little see-through… Destiny hesitantly followed Tifa and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Yes?"

"Um," the blonde girl floundered. "I – I was wondering if… maybe you could… do you have anything that I could borrow? To wear, I mean."

'_Smooth, Destiny. Real smooth.'_

Tifa cast a critical eye over the nightgown and nodded with understanding. "Yeah, of course. Wait here." She disappeared into her room and came back a few minutes later with a small pile of clothes in her hands. "There may be something in here that will fit you."

"Thank you, Tifa." Destiny took the clothes gratefully. "I really, really appreciate everything you've done for me. My back feels way better now."

Tifa shook away her thanks with a flick of her dark head. "No, thank _you_ for saving Marlene. She… she means a lot to me. To everyone."

"Yes," Destiny agreed. "She's a very special girl." Tifa nodded, and then there was a short, awkward pause. It would seem that, beyond Marlene, the two women had very little in common. "I guess I'll go get changed now," she finished lamely before hightailing it back to her tiny guestroom.

'_I'm as bad as Vincent!'_ Destiny thought as she examined the clothing Tifa had lent her. There were several shirts to choose from, and she had a choice between leather shorts or a leather miniskirt. (Tifa hadn't been nicknamed 'black leather girl' for nothing.) In the end, Destiny settled for the black leather shorts and a white tank top with a cute little strawberry on it. After rinsing out her mouth and running a comb through her long golden hair, she decided that there was nothing more to be done and made her way back downstairs.

Eventually, everyone reassembled and it was decided that they'd take Cid's huge-ass flying metal contraption to Shinra's house. Marlene and Denzel would, of course, be staying home. By air, the trip was much shorter than Destiny's previous one on Kadaj's motorcycle had been. After only ten minutes of flying, Cid touched smoothly down and Destiny followed the others up the wooden staircase to Shinra's front door. She absently noted that the door had been fixed – if you recall, Kadaj had oh-so-subtly smashed it in on his last visit.

As Reno and the bald guy showed Cloud's group in, Destiny couldn't resist glancing towards the room with the hidden elevators. Kadaj had made her laugh in one of those elevators that day… She stopped those thoughts before they could begin. That had also been the day that she had unwittingly released a dishonorable, cold-blooded murderer from his prison.

_His prison_… that tank… and the strange chemicals – the ones that had burned her finger… _'That must have been their Mother's cells,'_ she realized. _'And I took them into my own body… but surely not enough to have much effect? But what would have happened if I had taken more?'_

Destiny shivered and her gaze was once again drawn towards the elevator room. The lab might hold some answers, right? Just to look, to see if that awful tank was still there… The others wouldn't even miss her. _'But what's the point?' _She argued with herself. _'What could I possibly gain from going back?'_

Her common sense won out, and she turned away just as a man with a no-nonsense gray suit strode into the room importantly. His hair was a dignified silver and he was very pale, as if he had just recovered from the flu. Clearing his throat for silence, the man locked his hands behind his back and waited sternly until he had everyone's attention. Destiny could already tell that she wasn't going to like this guy.

"It's good to see you again, Cloud," the man remarked, as if he were simply pointing out the weather. Destiny's eyes narrowed, knowing at once that he didn't really mean it. Even she, with all her naïveté, could tell that this man didn't really care at all. And that's saying something.

Cloud didn't even bother with pleasantries; he got straight to the point. "Why'd you make another Sephiroth, Shinra? Wasn't one of them enough?" His friends muttered their approval of Cloud's questions, glaring at the man with gray hair.

"Calm down," Shinra responded, holding his hands out in a peace gesture. "I can explain. Please, follow me. Let me show you the lab, and I'll tell you everything there. I promise."

Unwillingly, Cloud agreed, and Shinra punched a code into a number pad attached to his wall. There was a tiny click and a few floorboards by the wall popped up, revealing a winding metal staircase down into the awful whiteness of his laboratory. _'Multiple entrances,'_ Destiny noted. _'Now why didn't you have number pads installed to protect the elevators, Shinra? Thought they were well enough hidden? Fool.'_

Shinra led the way down the staircase, while Reno and Rude brought up the rear. One of the two partners pulled the floorboards shut behind them. The pale, reflective blandness of the lab was even more depressing than usual, and Destiny could tell that the others were just as disheartened by it as she was.

As they were trudging down the long flight of steps, Shinra began, "I understand your disapproval at the creation of another Sephiroth, but you must hear me out. He is the closest we have ever come to creating the perfect being, and we felt that if we could… _fix_ his psychological flaws, it would be to the benefit of the entire Planet."

Destiny wondered if she was the only one who felt that everything that came from his mouth was a load of bullshit. Judging by the looks on her companions' faces, however, she'd guess that she wasn't.

"However," Shinra continued. "We knew that it was a risk to recreate such a powerful being, so we took several precautionary steps during the process."

"And those would be…?" Cloud deadpanned, obviously not buying it.

"For starters, _this_ Sephiroth was not born. We grew him from previous genetic samples that we had taken. So, in simple terms, he is a clone. But – as you may know – clones do not generally have the best longevity. This comes from having an unstable DNA base, which is what we purposely incorporated into our Sephiroth clone. Of course, my scientists have the technology to stabilize it (if I so desired), but he will not last long without their care."

"How long exactly is 'not long'?" Cloud demanded.

"I believe they guessed around five months, give or take a few."

"Months?" Cloud repeated incredulously. "Do you have any idea how much damage Sephiroth could do with those couple of months? Besides, he could probably find some way to fix himself with materia or more Jenova cells!"

Shinra smirked. "But you are forgetting that there _are_ no more Jenova cells, aside from the remaining backwash in his tank and the very ones that inhabit the bodies of all who have been injected with them – like you, Cloud. And while materia is powerful, I'm afraid even it cannot stabilize an unsound DNA structure."

"That still leaves Sephiroth with five months to destroy the Planet!"

By this time, they had reached the bottom of the staircase and Shinra once again began leading the way through the lab. "A collapsing DNA structure is debilitating and extremely painful, Cloud. It will begin to tell on his strength after only a short time. The five-month estimate was on how long it would take to _kill_ him. He should start feeling the effects after only a month. It will be simple for you to take him down then." There was a short pause, and then Shinra added, "Of course, he represents one of the Shinra Company's significant investments, so I must ask that you do not kill him when that time comes."

A sneer curled Destiny's lip, and several of her companions snorted derisively. Before anyone could comment on this last statement, the group came to a small door that Destiny recognized very well. Shinra opened it easily with a big bronze key, and she felt a strong sense of déjà vu as she took in the room. Nothing had changed, really, except for the fact that Sephiroth no longer inhabited that giant glass tank.

"This was where we kept him," Shinra explained. "Even if someone broke in, they weren't supposed to find him. From the outside, it just looked like a tiny supply closet, right? But Kadaj is smart – he must have known we wouldn't leave Jenova's remaining cells out for anybody to find."

"Excuse me!" Destiny snapped before she could stop herself. "Mr. 'You-Wait-By-The-Elevators' Kadaj did _not_ find him! He and the others left me to go look around and I found him! I even had to get Sephiroth out of that tank _myself_! And did I get any help from the others, or even a 'thank you' afterwards? I don't think so!"

Everyone stared at Destiny in surprise, watching as she continued to seethe and glare accusingly at the tank. "My apologies," Shinra said smoothly. "You must be Destiny. Pleasure to meet you." He took her hand and shook it firmly, giving her a charming smile. "Incidentally… how _did_ you get Sephiroth out of the tank?"

Unsure what to make of his sudden change in demeanor, Destiny replied, "Oh, that was easy… I just…" She walked over to the tank and demonstrated by hoisting herself onto the tank just as she had done the last time. "Then I just pulled him out, took off his air mask, and pushed him over the edge." Destiny grimaced as she relived those extremely awkward minutes of her life.

"You pulled him out?" Shinra repeated skeptically. "How did you manage that?"

Destiny blinked, confused by the question. "Um, you know… I just put my hand in and pulled him out?" She made to demonstrate again, plunging her hand into the chemicals.

"_No!_" Shinra shouted, starting towards her swiftly.

Unprepared for his sudden movement, Destiny yelped and lost her balance… falling right into the tank, headfirst. As the chemicals closed over her head, her body jolted with that strange electricity that she had felt the first time she touched Sephiroth. She didn't close her lips fast enough, and the chemicals rushed into her mouth as well.

There wasn't an inch of her body that wasn't burning by now and she was starting to choke with the need for oxygen. An intense flash of white light blinded her suddenly, and an odd feeling of weightlessness took hold. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she could hear glass shattering…

And then a frosty female voice said, "Rise, daughter. Let your Mother look at you."

**

* * *

**

_My Sexy Readers,_

_So, Destiny and Kadaj will have their own little reunion in the next chapter... IF THERE IS A NEXT CHAPTER. That is completely up to you, readers. I'm aware that my updates are... sporadic... but if you still want this to continue, then PLEASE TELL ME!! It would serve me right to have lost all of you... I know very well that phases come and go quickly, and I haven't exactly been quick with my updates. However, in my defense, this last chapter was out in only 3 months!! That's improvement to the last one, right? =)_

_ChildOfFate17_

**

* * *

**

**THANKS, REVIEWERS!!**

**- Xanzi**

**- Skavnema**

**- Pangpond**

**- Clusterlizard1**

**- Ash Phoenix**

**- xSweetNightmaresx**

**- Red Jeanie **

**- Mooncry**

**- Chibi-Crazy**

**THANKS FOR STICKING WITH ME!!**


End file.
